


Tracing the Lines

by PyropeWritesStuff



Series: The Void's The Limit [1]
Category: UT Multiverse (Fanon/Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: (And trust me. There will be TONS more characters), (Be very afraid readers for I am evil), (but I really really really don't want to spoil it yet), (this word jumble of puns and pain is like my brain child or something), Angst, M/M, Some Swearing, Tags will be added as characters appear, Timeline Shenanigans, Undertime AU, multi-chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 17:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6161217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyropeWritesStuff/pseuds/PyropeWritesStuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a brand-new anomaly type appears and what should've been an easy mission falls apart, the remaining Sans Squad is forced to pick up the pieces.</p><p>This time, though, things are changing - and not in a good way.</p><p>Something has gone horribly wrong. With a glitch tearing through the multiverse's code and interdimensional politics running wild to stop a mysterious new threat, will they be able to do their job, be decent "heroes" for once, and save the day before the damage becomes irreparable?</p><p>Probably not. But hey, what've they got to lose?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pun Times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sans-undertime on Tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=sans-undertime+on+Tumblr).



> Hi guys! This is my first time writing something on this site, so I'd love it if you could give me some feedback. No hero - or, in my case, author - succeeds all on their own! (Also, sorry if the nicknames are confusing) Hope you guys enjoy (:

It began as an ordinary day at the Undertime Hub, complete with the absent Scientist!Sans' notes scattered deliberately across the floor and the low hum of one of Underswap!Sans' cooking shows. The stout skeleton was in the kitchen, dancing along to the upbeat music. When he'd started, his goal was to make lunch, but somewhere along the way it had changed to stubbornly ignoring his audience of one.

A gravely voice broke through the music. "Will you _stop that_?! I'm trying to sleep!" Underfell!Sans barked from the couch.

"What's the matter, Fell?" Outertale!Sans asked, floating by the ceiling fan with a joke book. "Distracted?"

Underfell's face turned bright red. "No! Shut up!" He flopped over and buried his face in a pillow.

Outertale let out a laugh and threw out his arms dramatically. "Never!"

Underswap couldn't help but laugh at the floating comedian. Still, he knew better than to let Outertale have free artistic license - especially when it got in the way of Underfell's constant bad mood. "... Maybe we should let him be, Outs," He said, turning down the TV.

"Alright, fine." Outertale set down the joke book on the top of the bookshelf. "You win this time... Bonehead."

"Oh god no." Underfell's muffled voice protested.

"What, did that pun get under your skin?"

"No puns!" Underfell threw the pillow at the laughing skeleton, who dodged expertly.

Outs' face practically radiated pride. "I guess you have a bone to pick with me now."

Underswap stopped dancing. "Heheh... Your jokes are stellar!" This time he caught a pillow to the face. Luckily, high-velocity cushions had never caused him to rethink his choices. Nothing did, really.

"Y'know what? I should just never trust either of you ever again." Underfell sighed angrily.

Outs floated down next to Swaps, striking a pose. "Wow, Fell. Stop being such a -"

"- _Numbskull_!" Swaps finished, beaming.

"Alright, that's it," Fell growled. "I would rather have to fix another anomaly than listen to you two!"

Suddenly, the door to the basement flew open.

"There's a new anomaly!" Scientist!Sans declared from downstairs, scrambling up the stairs. "Get Blaster and Classic, then report to the lab immediately! Time is of the essence!" He grabbed his notes and disappeared through the door again, slamming it behind him.

Outs rolled his eyes. "Great job, Fell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry this chapter is so short, it was going to be a preview. The next one will be much larger, I promise)


	2. The New Anomaly

As much as the Hub Laboratory was useful, it was also a small, cramped space full of bleached white furniture that made the viewer's eyes burn. It was a welcome change when, just after they initially found the pocket world, Scientist!Sans decided that it would be best to put in a basement and conduct work there instead of that outdated "bad time" factory.

Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable place, either. Everything in the room looked distorted and faded thanks to the multiple light sources of the machines, and no matter how careful they were, somebody would always end up getting snagged on something. The entire room smelled like dust and oil. Half of the work space was taken up by the "Blaster Zone", which was where Gaster!Sans had chosen to live, even though Scientist constantly reminded him that it was only a temporary arrangement and he would need it back soon. That's not even mentioning the Underfell Amalgamates that Blaster decided would just stay with him indefinitely... Although there was always one thing that nobody knew for long; "Where'd they go, anyway?"

And, just his luck, Scientist!Sans was usually the one to find them. Who knew they like coffee filters?

Somehow, even with this reign of terror he'd caused, Blaster was still looked up to as a leader by the group. It was only a superficial title - Classic!Sans was still much more prepared to handle the responsibility, even if he never really could - but they usually let him play king for a while before things got out of hand.

Today was no exception. The lanky skeleton stood across the basement from Screwball's machines, arms crossed. "So, what's the situation?" He questioned, obviously already enjoying his role.

Screwball rolled his eyes. "The 'situation' is that there appears to be a malformity in the Void Highway." He pulled a panel out of the wall, pushing a few buttons in rapid succession. A large screen popped out of the same wall above it, angled slightly down. "Of course, there's no such thing as a twist that could sustain itself in the Void, so I did some scans. It appears to be some form of magic, but it's out of tune with the ley - although the Void really shouldn't have a ley in the first place, but I'll investigate that later - and isn't tied to any source of mana. Then I tried to triangulate its origin, but despite my best efforts the machines can't lock on."

Blaster frowned. "I, um..."

A tired voice interrupted whatever Gaster!Sans was about to say. "I think what he means is that he has no idea what you're saying." Classic patted the taller Sans' shoulder. "Could you run that by us again, in English this time?"

The scientist grumbled a little, but followed the order. "There's a chunk of Void that doesn't match, but then when I try to figure out where it is, nothing comes up. I've never seen an anomaly of this order. We may just have to go and find it in person."

"... So what's the big deal? Seems a little melodramatic to drag all of us down here screaming bloody murder," Blaster said dryly, ignoring Classic's earlier comment.

 "The 'big deal'? Did you just forget the fact that the rest of us are matter-locked?"

"... Oh."

"Aaaaand he's lost again..."

Screwball rolled his eyes again. "'Matter-locked' means that we can't move in and out of universes at will like you. Most things are that way. Understand?"

Gaster!Sans grit his teeth, trying to stay calm. "Yeah, I understand."

Screwball nodded, then gestured at the screen as it lit up, blue dots appearing and flickering off again randomly. "Good, because I don't have time to explain the intricacies of the multiverse to you just now. Especially not when you should already know it."

Blaster shot him a glare for silence. Screwball ignored it and kept working at the screen.

"As I'm sure all of you can tell, this course of action would be unnecessarily hazardous," he continued. "Letting any one of us go alone to fix it - especially one already tuned to the Void - would be like standing in the middle of bull pen waving a bright red flag. The editor would notice a disturbance like that immediately. There is, of course, the option of using the Antivoid instead and finding its correspondent point, but that's just as dangerous without numbers on our side."

"We could just go fix it as a team," Blaster suggested. "That way, we'll cover more ground. Or, y'know, air, in some cases." He passively nodded towards Outertale. The floating comedian gave him a thumbs-up, but it was ignored.

"It's not as simple as that! There are no landmarks to use for navigation. It's a ludicrous idea. We need something more substantial - something we already know how to manage."

Classic shrugged. "Bud, we're already way past that point. Like you said, this is completely new. Better just use what we've got."

The scientist opened his mouth to respond, but shut it again when he couldn't come up with some way to tell the other Sans off. Blaster smiled, accepting this as a victory.

"Great. We'll use the Antivoid, then. Shouldn't be too hard," the honorary leader confirmed. He turned to face the rest of the group. "Any objections?"

Each Sans remained silent.

He nodded. "Good. Then we should get moving as soon as... Hmm?"

Swaps had raised his hand.

"Oh, okay, go ahead," Blaster prompted, confused.

The smaller skeleton stepped forward a little bit. "I-I think... I'm sorry, this just seems... Too simple, I guess? Again, I'm sorry, I just... Know there's something we're forgetting, so..."

He turned his gaze down to the floor. "... I think we should bring weapons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO. *crosses legs sassily* YOU THOUGHT. *leans back in spinny chair* IT WOULD BE ALL FUN AND GAMES.  
> ... Well, you've got some of that left. A fair bit of fluff before the real show begins. Enjoy it while it lasts! :D  
> 


	3. Just In Case

"... Weapons?"

The tension of the room was almost palpable. Suddenly, Blaster looked a lot less open for discussion. Swaps seemed to shrink under the leader's questioning glare. "I, um... Y-yes. Just to be safe."

The taller Sans gave an exhasperated sigh. "... Swaps, as long as we stick to the plan, we won't have to fight anyone. And even if we do run into a drifter or something, we shouldn't be striking to kill. You know that.

"I... Please, j-just hear me out," Swaps stuttered. "I-It's still -"

"Damnit, I'm not gonna waste time weighing us down!" Blaster growled, squaring his shoulders. "We'll pack only the essentials - food, equipment, magic canisters. That's it."

"B-but - "

"No weapons. Too heavy."

"... Okay." The armor-clad skeleton nodded, backing quietly out of the light. He looked... Ashamed. Defeated, almost.

Fell, on the other hand, wasn't about to let it go down without a fight.

He shouldered past Swaps and walked into what had quickly become the speaker's position. "Hold on. He has a point." He crossed his arms. "I don't know how long you've spent out there, but the Antivoid is no safe spot. There are still minor Errors out there - and not all of them are stuck at 1 HP."

Blaster shrugged. "So? Magic'll be more than enough to incapacitate anything we find. No need to overcomplicate things."

"Really? 'More than enough'? Not all of us can use it!" He pointed at Swaps, then Screwball, who seemed to be hiding behind the machines. "What if we get split up? They'd be easy EXP without some way to defend themselves."

"Then we won't get split up."

"And how can you be sure?"

... No response.

After several strained seconds of silence, Outertale spoke up. "... Heh, y'know, I can just- ahem. I can carry the extra weight. Personal gravity, right? Um... Don't stress about it."

Blaster just glared at him. Classic set a hand on the leader's shoulder, pulling him back slightly. His little act was over.

"Just let this one go," he instructed.

For a moment, Blaster ignored the order. He stared coldly at Outertale, daring him to make another stupid interruption.

Then Fell took a step back. The taller skeleton quickly accepted the show of defeat and nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright, fine, but you'll all have to carry whatever extra you bring," he announced, standing upright again. "And I'm not going to slow down just because you're worn out."

Classic glanced at Swaps. He gave a half-hearted smile. Good enough.

***

Two hours had passed since the argument. Blaster had refused to acknowledge the incident, and it was clear he wasn't going to think about it anymore. Just like most of his problems.

After the others gave up asking, he'd left the Hub. Just a walk around the copy-forest, he'd said. Be back in a little while. Call if they need help. The same old drill, same lines, same feeling of fog that clouded his judgment every time this happened. He knew this was bad, that it was insensitive and a leader has to help their team. But he didn't care about that anymore. Really, he didn't care about much. There just wasn't much left to waste energy on.

"... Heh." Pacing along the tree line, the lanky skeleton stared down at his feet as they moved, one in front of the other. "That's pretty pathetic. Good job, me, you're so goddamn messed up you can't even keep it to yourself. Y'know what would fix that? If you could think straight! But no. You really outdid yourself this time."

... No. That wasn't fair. He shook his head. "Ugh... Stop it with the self-pity. It's not going to help..." But then, he wasn't really out here for help...

This was useless. He was running around in circles, figuratively and literally. Either he would let the thoughts fester and swirl in his head until he accepted them, or he could just fade back home and try to ignore them. For the team's sake. He owed them that much, at least...

He stopped, closed his eyes, planted both feet firmly in the snow, and...

... Pause. Something was different.

He could feel it, even without reaching the Void. A tiny, modest change had been made, just before he would've run into it.

Something told him to leave it alone.

Blaster stumbled backwards as a sudden wave of nausea hit. Before he knew it, he was lying on his back, staring up at the Underground ceiling.

He pinched his eyes shut, trying to force back the fog. "Damnit... This really isn't the time..."

Slowly but surely, the pain dulled. Lightheaded but stubborn, he got up.

"Nngh..." He grimaced. Now, of all times, for a headache? He hadn't even done anything this time! One slender hand rose up and pointed angrily at his skull. "You just looooove picking on me, don't you..."

His hand collapsed and fell flat, too exhausted from the headache. He yawned. "... Welp. Looks like I really do have to get back, huh..."

Blaster reluctantly shifted his weight to his feet and stood. He shuffled back a few meters - hopefully out of the range of whatever had changed - and tried to fade again.

No luck. This time, he didn't even get as far as going blank before slamming Soul-first into a block. He reeled and thudded right back to the ground.

For a moment, he didn't even feel like moving.

"... Heh. Guess that's it, then," he muttered to himself. "Just gonna wait..."

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, silvery voice. "... Uh, what's 'it', Blaster? You okay?"

Caught off guard, he bolted upright. "Huh? Who's out... There..."

He was at the Hub. And he'd just yelled at Outertale.

The comedian floated back to give the leader some space. "Ey, I'm right here. No need to shout. Thought you'd done enough of that for one day."

"... Huh? Oh, right, sorry. I'm just... Uh..." Blaster didn't hear it - not really. He was too busy thinking. How did he get here without fading...?

When Outs noticed Blaster's detached expression, he frowned. "Sheesh, if you're too busy to talk, just say it." He floated down next to the taller Sans and sat. "Look, Classic told me to bring you back. He said we're almost ready to leave, so either you stop being all distant, or I'll carry you. Take your pick."

Blaster still wasn't listening.

"... Hey, you in there? Stars to Gaster!Sans, do you copy?..."

He waved a hand in front of Blaster's face, which was suddenly slapped away.

Blaster's left eye went wide. "Gah!... Huh? Er, sorry, what'd you say?"

Outertale grumbled. "I said, if we don't get back to the house, Classic's gonna flip!... Figuratively. Not literally. I'd pay to see him try."

"Oh. Yeah, that'd be... Tragic." Blaster grimaced at the thought. "I'll, um, be right there. I just need a second."

Outertale sighed. "... Okay," he affirmed, lifting back into the air. "So long as you don't get me in trouble again."

"Of course."

As soon as he felt stable, Blaster stood up and followed Outertale. Even with the steady river of conversation from the comedian, though, he couldn't keep his thoughts from drifting elsewhere. Why didn't he notice fading earlier? Why did he have a feeling that "something was different"?... And why was he so nervous about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason this got longer than I expected :/  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy! And, just so you know the countdown has begun. 2 chapters left 'til... Well, you'll just have to find out, won't ya? =)


	4. Something's Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep, sorry for the abrupt hiatus, guys! My family has been busy moving lately, so that takes up a lot of time. But I'm back with a new chapter!

When Blaster and Outs finally made it back to the basement, they found the rest of the group waiting. Well, not exactly waiting; Classic was already giving instructions. As they walked in, every head in the room turned to stare with varying degrees of annoyance.

Fell was the first to speak up. "Took you long enough," he said, rolling his eyes. "Guess the lone wolf thinks he doesn't need directions, huh?"

Outertale grimaced. "Hey, he was just-"

"Hold on, I've got this," Blaster interrupted. Turning to Fell, he leaned backwards, trying to make himself look taller. "One, I wouldn't have been late if you guys would just let Sci upgrade your phones to work here. Two, since when am I the 'lone wolf'?"

"Since you wandered off on your own earlier. Everyone's got a nickname. Yours just changed."

Blaster grumbled. Then he caught sight of Classic, who was pointing at the machinery's screen impatiently. Maybe he should stall this... "Really? We all have nicknames?"

Fell nodded passively. "Yeah. Outs is 'space cadet', Sci is 'basement nerd', Classic's 'the creepy one', Swaps is 'blueberry', and according to you guys, I'm 'Edgy McMy Chemical Romance'."

Swaps raised his hand. "Um, wasn't my nickname 'cinnamon roll'?... I'm not a fruit..."

"What, so you're 'too good for this world, too pure'?" He laughed. "Nope... We all know that's not true."

Classic sighed. "Can we get back to work? Because I'd really prefer to get some time at home today."

"... Yeah," Blaster answered.

"It was a rhetorical question." Classic shook his head. "Nevermind. Let's just focus on the task at hand. Fortunately for you two, we haven't started working on the plan itself, so you can catch up. Oh, and think fast."

A pair of backpacks fell from the ceiling. Blaster caught one without even breaking eye contact; Outs, on the other hand, didn't notice until the other fell on his head.

"Hey! What're you trying to do?!" The glitter-coated skeleton asked indignantly.

Classic shrugged, the familiar grin on his face becoming a bit more genuine. "Nothing. Just a joke. You didn't think I'd just let you get off the hook that easy, right?"

The victim grumbled, but couldn't stay mad for long. Really, it hadn't done much, and Classic wasn't angry anymore, so... If it made the leader happy, so be it.

"Alright, alright," Classic intoned. "Let's get down to business -"

A line of lyrics echoed from Fell's corner of the room. "To defeat, the Huns..."

It took him a moment to notice his grave mistake. Luckily, nobody pointed it out, although everyone besides Sci chuckled under their breath. Swaps gently elbowed him in the side, smiling.

Classic continued, partially succeeding in stifling his laughter. "As I was saying... As of yet, we have almost no knowledge and no solid theories as to whatever these things are. However, we do know they aren't causing much damage, since the machines seem to think they aren't there. So I'm gonna take that as a good sign. You guys are all welcome to bring whatever you can carry, but I'm sticking to the basics." He sent Blaster a look. "I assume he's going to, too. So, that's one less thing to worry about."

The computer let out a loud ping, and the screen brightened with the image of a blank "map" of the Antivoid.

Sci took his hands away from the console. "Thus far, I've been able to narrow the search area down to a few specific pockets. This seems to be about as 'prepared' as we can hope to be, at this rate..." He sighed. "I suggest we take action as soon as possible."

Classic raised an eyebrow-ridge. "Huh?... Thought you wanted to be cautious. Isn't this rushing the process a little?"

The scientist huffed. "Yes, and this is cautious. If we don't act fast, we may lose our window of opportunity. Therefore, the most logical course of action would be to hurry up and get it over with."

Classic took a step towards Sci. "But what about -"

"About what?!" Suddenly the smaller skeleton whirled around, his fist narrowly missing the advisor and slamming into the wall next to him.

Everyone in the room backed up, eyes glued to the abrupt change in the "smart one"'s behavior. When was the last time he'd actually been violent?... More importantly, when was the last time he'd openly gone against Classic's decision?

For several seconds, the only sound was labored breathing. Then silence.

Finally, the original Sans spoke up - although he was careful not to get too close. "... Hey, kid. Mind filling me in on the reason why you attacked a guy with 1 HP just for talking to you?"

"..." He was practically boring holes through the other's skull with eyes of pure anger. What had gotten into him? "... Stop. Questioning. Me. This is the correct course of action. I'm the one with the brains, remember?"

At first, Classic wanted to reprimand him, call him out for his mistake. Still, he wasn't stupid or brave enough to chance another outburst. "... Yeah. Brains. Guess we'll head out as soon as everyone's packed, then."

He waved his hand, dismissing the group without another word. At first, they just looked at each other for an explanation. Classic nodded his head towards the door, and when that didn't evoke the right response, he glanced over his shoulder at Blaster.

At his cue, the lanky skeleton walked to the door and held it open. "Right. Everyone, go ahead and prepare."

Fell raised an eyebrow-ridge. "But we still don't have a solid plan. Aren't you gonna -"

"Go ahead and prepare," Blaster repeated.

"... Alright." Fell reluctantly went up the stairs. Blue and Outs followed, then Classic.

Blaster left a full minute after the rest. Before he'd so much as taken another step, though, he glared at Sci.

"Look, I don't know what's up with this whole change of tune you're playing, but don't do it again."

As he finally walked out, the stifling, brittle atmosphere passed. Sci shook his head, trying to clear away some of the fog that had suddenly set into his mind.

It took him a moment to realize everyone was gone - and that his hand had been jammed into a crack in the wall. He pulled it out, then carefully inspected it for damage. The knuckles had chipped a bit, but... Besides that, the hand was fine.

He reached up and rubbed at a sore spot on his spine. There was something he'd missed... A chunk of his life that had just passed without leaving any impression.

But he couldn't worry about it now. As always, the mission came first.


	5. The Calm, Part 1

As soon as the meeting disbanded, each Sans attended to packing for the mission. Classic and Outs went directly to the kitchen, then to their own timelines for a while; Sci only came upstairs for a moment to find the rest of his notes and a backpack; Blaster disappeared to who-knows-where; Swaps headed right for the armory on the side of the Hub house; and Fell stopped by Grillby's and the garbage zone in his timeline.

Of course, the Underfell native knew better than to hang around for longer than necessary. By the time Grillby noticed that his food had been stolen, Fell was already back at the Hub. Better yet, he still had enough empty space in his inventory for one or two extra things. Whether or not he was a little slower than the rest didn't matter.

But... The rest of the team was still busy elsewhere. Knowing Sci and Classic, whatever they were up to could probably take hours, despite the pressure of a mission.

So Fell weighed his options.

Just sitting and waiting would be a waste of time. He didn't need any more food, so raiding the kitchen would be pointless, too - if the comedian duo had even left anything. After Sci's outburst earlier, he wasn't about to go downstairs and check for supplies there...

The rooms upstairs definitely had nothing useful in them, nor the lab out back, since they hadn't been entered in weeks... Going back to his timeline was just reckless... He had no authority to barge into the others' AUs...

That left one option. If he was being honest with himself, it was his favorite by far, but he wasn't, so nobody could laugh at him for it.

He decided to visit the armory.

Just as he expected, Swaps was still there, picking through the racks of polished weapons that Alphys had given him over dozens of Resets... Hundreds, maybe? Fell wasn't sure how long the adventurer had been training with her, or involved with the multiverse, or how it had started in the first place. He just knew that for an almost-pacifist, Swaps was incredibly attached to his collection.

Fell closed the door carefully so as not to disturb the other skeleton's focus. He pretended not to notice Swaps' presence, passively inspecting each piece of shining metal and smooth wood as he passed it on his way to the center of the room.

Easier said than done, though, when it's just to look cool. He was much more interested in a different kind of masterpiece.

The time it took for him to reach Swaps without drawing attention was infuriating. Why couldn't he just drop his ego for five minutes and stop being on edge all the time?... Well, maybe that question had plenty of answers, but he was still tired of his own pride.

Slowly but surely, though, he made it to the skeletal knight. Again, instead of making anything painfully obvious, he just set a gloved hand on the slightly taller Sans' shoulder. "Hey."

Only then did Swaps notice he wasn't alone. He looked at Fell, slightly surprised. "Huh?... Oh. Hi to you too... Did you need something, or...?"

Oh no. Those eyes... Those big, beautiful, shining eyes. Even without the stars, they made Fell's mind go completely blank.

It took him a moment to realize he'd been spoken to. "... Oh, right. Nah, I was just, um... Checking out these weapons. Did you see the axe over there?" He gestured to a random space behind him.

Smooth, Fell. Real smooth.

Before he could mentally reprimand himself - of course Swaps had seen it, all of these were his! And besides, he didn't even know if there was an axe where he'd waved to - the other had already kept moving with the conversation.

"Hmm... Yeah, that one's alright. It isn't my favorite, but..." He smiled. "Do you like it? If you want, you can have it."

"What?" Fell was surprised. Swaps loved these weapons... Right? Yes, he was sure of that... So why the change of pace? "I, um... Y-you're sure? Because i-if I stepped out of line or something, I d-didn't mean to, I just wanted to say it looked cool, n-not that I was going to steal it or-"

His rambling cut off short, interrupted by a small, warm laugh. "Mwehehe... No, Fell, you're just fine. I thought you might want to bring it on the mission. Just in case." He leaned forward and left a kiss on Fell's forehead. "Consider it a present."

The smaller skeleton's face turned bright red. He pulled his hood on tighter around his head. "Y-yeah, o-o-okay."

The knight chuckled again. "You're blushing."

Fell crossed his arms indignantly. "Y-yeah? Well... Y-you're a nerd!" He turned around, grabbed the axe, and stumbled out of the armory. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway again. "And I am NOT blushing!" He slammed the door behind him as he left.

Swaps broke the resulting silence by laughing out loud.

"Mweheheheh... You're a nerd too." By now, he knew that Fell had a strange way of dealing with his emotions. Despite the piles of evidence, the skeleton refused to admit anything. That was alright, though. Swaps knew he'd give up eventually.

Still... He also knew better than to count on "eventually". Especially now, when everything was going to...

... Nope. Swaps shut down that train of thought before it could finish.

There was still a chance that the new anomaly was something else. That everybody would be alright... That for once, he was jumping to conclusions, and the worst-case-scenario was irrelevant.

Maybe this time, he could save them.

***

Thirty minutes later, the team was finally ready. This time, Classic was positioned at the head of the group. The other two "leaders" stood on either side of the front door.

Sci still had his brain honed in on a screen; this one was a tiny, handheld version of the mapping machine downstairs. Meanwhile, Blaster was leaning on the doorframe, ready to open a gate to the Antivoid when the order was given.

He glanced down at the youngest member of the team. "... So... What's the phone for?"

Sci rolled his eyes for seemingly the hundredth time in four hours. "It is not a 'phone', Gaster!Sans. It is a powerful monitoring device that I'll be using to coordinate the anomaly's exact location. Much more advanced than a telephone."

"It's a nerd phone," Blaster chuckled.

"Ugh... I won't waste time trying to explain this to you, but it's NOT a phone."

"It looks like one to me. Four sides, flat screen -"

Their argument was interrupted by Classic, clearing his throat. "Ahem... Am I getting in the way of something? It's not like, I don't know, I've already had to stop both of you from killing someone today. Hmm?"

Blaster looked down at the scientist one last time before responding. "... Point taken."

"Thank you!" He turned around to address the rest of the team. "Alright, this mission is probably gonna take a while. Probably at least a day, so we need to be able to rest once in a while. And 'cause this is the Antivoid we're talking about, somebody needs to be keeping an eye out while the others sleep. Seeing how everyone's been acting," - he shot a look at Sci and Blaster - "... I think we should double up. Two people per shift."

Fell nodded, then Outs. Swaps remained still. Blaster just gave an affirmative wave of the hand, and Sci didn't even notice much of what Classic had been saying.

"Great. I'll take the middle shift - Blaster, you'll be with me. I'm guessing Fell and Swaps will want to be teamed up -"

Fell blushed. "What're you talking about?"

Swaps just smiled. "We'll take the latest."

That earned a small grumble of "okay, fine" from the red-faced skeleton next to him.

Next, Outs floated over to Sci and patted his head.

"Looks like we're taking the first shift!" He confirmed, beaming.

Sci looked up at the comedian for a second, but then returned to his screen. "Mhmm."

Classic chuckled. "Yeah, this is gonna work just perfect," he remarked sarcastically.

Then he walked to the door and nodded to Blaster. "'Kay, let's go. Don't wanna give these numbskulls time to rebel or somethin'."

Blaster stood up straight, cracking his knuckles. "Finally."

He shook his hands to loosen them up, before placing one on the door. At first, it looked like he was just channeling magic into nothing, but after a few moments, a shaft of light appeared in the keyhole and underneath the door.

Blaster let go, stepping back to let Classic through. The leader opened the door, revealing nothing but empty, frozen space.

The Antivoid.

Blaster stepped through first. He looked around, testing the metaphorical air for any signs of danger.

When he was satisfied that there was nothing out there, he waved for the others to follow. "Coast's clear."

After that, Sci walked out of the house, then Classic, then Fell. Swaps ducked to allow Outs space to float past.

"... Huh," the leader said. "Something's definitely up... Screwball, any new leads?"

Sci didn't look up from the device. "Nothing major. It's still fluctuating. I haven't found a steady signal yet..."

Classic nodded. "Just keep me updated. For now, I think we oughta catch some z's."

He set down his backpack and pulled out a yoga mat, a pillow, and a blanket. Then he lied down on the makeshift bed. "G'night."

"... What?" Swaps looked down at the leader with a look of confusion - and maybe, just a tiny little bit of annoyance. "We can't sleep yet. We have to go find that anomaly and fix it!"

Fell nodded. "Yeah. Shouldn't we be focusing on that?"

The leader shuffled and turned into his other side. "Maybe, but this is the safest spot to set up home base. It's right next to our gateway, and we haven't moved yet and made tracks for anything to follow. So just go to sleep and we can start working again when we're all rested."

For a moment, nobody responded. Blaster broke the silence by setting up his space, too. "What? He's right. Go to sleep."

Fell reluctantly followed suit, muttering protests under his breath. When he'd laid down, he still wasn't done ranting under his breath.

"..." Swaps finally gave up and set down his backpack. "I can't believe you guys..."

He dug through the main section first. Hmm... No not-actually-a-mattress, no blankets...

Then he checked the smaller pockets. Still nothing.

Wait... Did he forget to pack a bed?

"Darn it..." He frowned, slapping his palm against his skull. Of course he'd forgotten! He'd been so absorbed in preparing weapons that he didn't think about anything else...

But before he could reprimand himself any further, a familiarly raspy voice interrupted. "... Stop moping and come over here."

"Huh?" Swaps turned around to see Fell, holding up half of his blanket. "Wha... You don't have to. I'll be fine. And if I really can't fall asleep, that's okay, because I'll just help out with the watch. It's okay."

The sharp-toothed skeleton shook his head. "Nope. If you stay up, you're gonna be upset and sore later. Fact is, we need a motivator." He yawned. "... So? What're you waiting for? This is a one-time deal."

"Erm... Okay." Swaps hurriedly closed the backpack and scrambled over to where Fell had set up. "Sorry." He laid down next to the smaller Sans, pulling over half of the blanket.

"Nah, don't be. Just don't forget your stuff next time, either."

"Right."

After a few minutes, Fell was fast asleep. Swaps decided that he wasn't going to bug him later about the fact that he'd turned over and wrapped his arms around the knight in his sleep - that just seemed unfair.

Outs, on the other hand, didn't care whether or not it was fair. Just as Swaps was about to fall asleep, too, the comedian floated down next to the two.

"So, can I say my ship's canon yet?" He goaded, grinning obnoxiously.

Swaps pushed him away with one hand. "Oh, shoo. You have a job to do, remember?" He turned away and, trying to ignore Outs' jokes, held Fell closer.

Once Outs left - which, luckily, didn't take very long - the knight quickly drifted to a shallow sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter after only just over a week? What is this sorcery?!  
> I'm excited to get to the next part... Maybe a little too excited... So I had tons of DT to help me finish fast!  
> Anyway, here we introduce the main ship! Of course, there will be a few others, but this is the central one.  
> Consider this a present to make up for... Well, you'll just have to see!


	6. The Calm, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo yo yo yo yo, what time is it? New chapter time!

Swaps jolted awake, his Soul burning in his ribs, like it could scorch its way out at any second. One of his hands clenched his shirt over it, trying to reaffirm that it was still there, and he was fine. Nobody was hurt. He hadn't - ...

Again, he stopped himself from thinking too much. The point was simply that he was okay. No need to stretch anything further. Nightmares were just... Just fake, right?

It wasn't real. Everything was still going according to the plan.

He was yanked back to the present as the smaller skeleton shifted next to him. Swaps quickly tried to conceal his sharp breathing and tight expression, but unlike the others, he hadn't had much practice.

When Fell spoke, his voice was still dulled with sleep. "... 'S a problem?"

It took Swaps a moment to piece together the broken phrase. "Uh... Oh, right. No, there's nothing wrong, just... A bad dream. That's all. Go back to sleep."

"Not tired," Fell mumbled, despite the fact that one of his eyes was shut, and the other didn't even have a light on.

"Yes, you are. You're barely awake right now. Get some rest, Felly."

"... M'kay..."

He reluctantly let himself relax again, drifting right back to sleep before he could even finish the word. Swaps smiled, vaguely aware that the nightmare was already fading.

Suddenly, another crackling sting shot through his Soul. This time, though, he was expecting it - he knew he could just grit his teeth and bear it. What mattered more than the short-lived pain was the implications...

When the second burst faded, Swaps shook his head, halfheartedly chiding himself for making this reckless decision. Still, there was no way around it. He was running out of time; if he just waited for Classic to finally get the team moving, it would be too late to fix anything. Besides, it would be much easier to get this over with if the others were... Out of the way.

He had to leave, right now.

Without hesitating, he moved out of the sleeping Fell's arms, taking care not to wake him up. Swaps didn't want to leave the anxious wreck with the job of explaining where he'd gone. Besides, Fell looked pretty tired - this whole mess would be easier to understand if he was well-rested.

When Fell was in no danger of being woken up, Swaps picked up his backpack and stood up. Before leaving, he dug a pre-written note out of the bag, setting it down next to the unconscious skeleton. For now, it was all he could do to shift the blame away from the least-trusted member of the team.

Later, he would explain... Or, at least, he would try to. By the time this was all over, he would probably be the new outsider. Still, that would be a fair price to pay.

***

A few hours later, the second shift ended. Blaster and Classic came back without a scratch, as expected. So far, Classic had everything under control - Sci hadn't picked any more fights since the last time he'd checked in, Blaster was as sarcastic and laid-back as ever, and Fell... Well, he was probably sleeping. The perpetual tiredness seemed to be the only personality trait that tied him to Classic at all. Whether that was good or bad, the leader hadn't decided.

The remaining two teammates were fairly predictable - Outs was probably either fast asleep, too, or looking over Sci's shoulder while he was trying to work. Meanwhile, if Classic knew anything about the team dynamic, Swaps would be hanging around with the time-bomb. Sure, the guy was pretty good with people, but reading situations... Not so much.

Hmm... Where was Swaps, anyway? His shift was about to start... At first, Classic thought about asking Fell first, but... To be honest, he didn't like that one. Way too shady.

So instead, he just turned to Blaster. Even if the informant hadn't technically seen Swaps wander off, his weird Void powers would tell him what'd happened... Probably.

"Hey." Classic tapped the fusion's shoulder. "Underswap's not with Edgeface. Where'd he go?"

Blaster just rolled his eyes. "I was watching the perimeter, C. I'm not omniscient or somethin'... Most of the time..."

"Watch the sass, buddy. You're still not off the hook."

Blaster just shrugged. "And you're still short."

The leader shook his head. "... I give up. You go ahead and just... Do whatever you want. I'm gonna go see if the others saw anything."

"Works for me," the gray skeleton confirmed, already fading out. Strange... Wasn't it supposed to be immediate?... Oh well. Classic didn't really care enough to wonder.

Moments later, Classic arrived in front of Scientist!Sans's tent. The first few times Sci had convinced Outs to drag this thing along, the leader had tried to veto it, but at this point he'd given up. If Sci wanted personal work space, he was going to get it, no matter how unreasonable the conditions were - and besides, he was letting Outs sleep in the tent, too. Like the case with most of the team's antics, he didn't care as long as nobody was fighting.

Classic knocked on the tent's front flap. "Hey, brainiac, let me in. Got some questions for ya."

The only response was an annoyed grunt. So he knocked again, harder this time. "Sci, I'm not gonna bug you about the machines. Open the door."

For a second, he was ignored again. Then the door zipped open about three inches - just enough to let Classic open it himself.

"... Someone's in a bad mood," he said as he stepped through the circular tent opening.

Sci was sitting cross-legged at his workspace, fiddling with a silver device and glaring at it critically. "I'm busy. Tell me what you want and let me work."

The leader had to pinch his eyes shut to avoid rolling them right out of the sockets. "Point taken... Listen, I went to check on the lovebirds, and Swaps wasn't there. You guys happen to see where he went?"

Sci set down the device, but still refused to look at Classic. "It's rude to talk about someone behind their back... Fell's already angry enough about it as is. I suggest you refrain from calling them that."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Do you have information or not?"

"... No. I do not. And Outertale has been asleep since our shift ended, so he can't help you, either," Sci said, nodding towards the shadowy corner of the tent where Out was sleeping.

Sci's hands, resting on the makeshift desk in front of him, curled into tight fists. "Now, please go away before you wake him up."

"... Yeah, yeah, I get the point." He almost took a step back when he noticed the slight display of anger, but caught himself before he could make himself look threatened. "... I'll leave ya to... Whatever it is you're up to, then... Thanks, anyway, glasses."

That earned him a cold look as he backtracked out of the tent, hands up in mock surrender.

... Well, that was three out of four possible resources out... Which, unfortunately, meant his only chance for any decent information was to wake up a compact ball of anger, anxiety, and "absolutely scorching" comebacks.

Classic shook his head, wondering how, exactly, his life had gotten to this point.

When the leader found him, Fell was still deep in sleep. The wound-up Sans held one of the couch pillows from the Hub in a death grip, his expression knit with... What exactly would this be categorized as? Worry? Anger?

... No, it couldn't be either of those. This little prick didn't care enough about anything to feel that; Classic knew enough about the Underfell timelines to figure out that much. He was probably just uncomfortable.

He knelt down next to the unconscious monster, sizing up the potential danger. Honestly, though, that was just a waste of time, anyway; even if Fell was going to lash out, Classic would just ignore that in favor of getting petty revenge.

How many times had he found mustard stains in the furniture? Classic had lost count.

But before he could surprise the unconscious skeleton awake, his attention was drawn away by movement at the edge of his vision. It took him a moment to see the yellowing scrap of paper against the blank canvas of the Antivoid.

Classic frowned as he weighed the pros and cons of waking up Fell now, or after he'd checked... Whatever was on that paper. Barely a second later, though, he'd already decided to judge whether or not the shady Squad Newbie needed that information after he knew what it was.

He got up and walked over to the paper. When he picked it up, it was brittle, but held its shape without so much as crinkling in his hands.

On one side, there was a note.

_"To my team,_

_This is Swaps! Well, you probably already guessed that, but... Never mind. I wrote that in pen, so I can't erase it now. Sorry... And you already knew that, too... Let's just forget that entire last paragraph._

_Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you guys. I know you're probably going to be pretty confused about this, but it's important._

_Please don't look for me. Leave the anomaly up to me, too. I can handle this one on my own. Trust me on this, okay? I know what I'm doing. I've seen this sort of thing before, so... Keep your distance. I don't want any of you guys to get hurt because you don't know what's going on._

_And if you can, also, please don't get angry at Fell for all this. I know Classic - who I'm guessing is the one reading this, right? Probably. He is the leader most of the time, after all - kinda has it out for him. One, back off. He's not a bad person. And two, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He has nothing to do with me leaving. And don't bug him with questions, either! He's going to be stressed anyway._

_I'll try to meet up with you guys again later at the Hub, after this is all taken care of. I'm sorry I can't give you any answers yet, but just trust me for now._

_Oh, I almost forgot: Outs, you're a comedy STAR! Just so you know._

_And Fell, don't worry about me. I'll be back before you know it, okay? I promise. If anyone gives you trouble, just remember someone loves you very much. Someone who is willing to fight anyone who tells you otherwise!_

_See you soon,  
Swaps!"_

... Hmm.

Classic folded up the letter and shoved it in his pocket. So Swaps wanted to take this mission solo?...

He shook his head. No, this was too dangerous. Hadn't Swaps asked to bring weapons earlier? If he knew what the new anomaly was, and was prepared to fight it... Whether he wanted it or not, Swaps would need backup.

... And that left Classic with the matter of telling everyone what he'd just learned. Sure, Outs, G, and Sci were trustworthy, but... A whole paragraph had been written for the time-bomb. Did Fell really need to know all this?

No. He didn't. Classic would leave him alone, as per instructions. If Swaps had a problem with that, he should've told Fell before he left, right? Besides, it would probably be better to hear in person...

For now, Classic would just let Fell sleep. He had other people to talk to right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Like I said.


	7. Storm Warning

It didn't take long for Classic to set up yet another meeting. How many was it now? Four in a day? This was getting out of hand... Of course, that didn't mean they weren't necessary.

This time, he managed to find a good use for Sci's tent by hosting the meeting inside. At first, the mechanic tried to tell the leader off, but that didn't work very well when everyone - except Fell, who was probably still sleeping - was already in the tent.

Classic cleared his voice, calling attention. "Alright, first order of business. Everyone caught up, or do I need to explain?"

Outs floated down a few feet, about level with the rest of the group. "Um... I don't think any of us really know what's going on." He yawned and stretched his limbs, rising back up to the ceiling.

Classic dug the note out of his pocket. "I found this when I went to check on Fell. He was still out cold, so I don't think he knows about it, but..."

He went silent, tightening his grip on the faded paper.

Blaster, leaning by the doorway as usual, spoke up. "What's the issue, C?"

"... Nothing. It's, uh... Yeah, nothing." He stayed still for a second, well aware that his hand was starting to shake. Something was wrong. "... Just... Here, you guys read it. It's from Swaps. He wants to take on this mission alone."

Good. Get rid of the object of stress. That was what he was supposed to do, right? Maybe those coping-skill classes were worth something after all...

Okay, that was a little harsh. But then again, it was his job to think critically.

He held up the paper, and Blaster took it. The tall skeleton read the entire thing without changing expression, handing it to Sci once he was done.

"I get it. You want to go help him, right? Even though he says he has it under control?"

Classic nodded. "Yep."

Blaster nodded, rereading the note again over Sci's shoulder. The scientist didn't seem to notice.

"... Alright. I'd say that's a good call. Seems pretty urgent." He rested one elbow on Sci's head. "So, how do we find him?"

This time, Sci shoved the arm away. "Obviously, we can just use his temporal signature. By the stars, how did you even get this job without this basic knowledge? It's like you're some kind of amateur... And I KNOW you're not one. Try to think about what you're saying next time."

Blaster just sighed. He walked back to his old position by the doorway and sat down on the ground.

"Anyway," Sci continued, pulling yet another machine out of his oversized lab coat, "I've already recorded everyone's TIs. As long as he doesn't leave the Antivoid, we will be able to track him down easily... And he won't leave. There are no ways out that don't involve a leap of idiotic faith - which would probably send him directly into the Static Layer - or to come back here."

"Great. Good plan." Classic patted the shorter skeleton's shoulder and ignored the cringe he received in return.

"Don't touch my coat, sir."

"Yeah, okay." The leader backed away with his hands up.

"Uh..." Outs drifted low to the floor again. "Is nobody gonna point out that he's got our TIs? Does nobody else find that a little creepy?"

"It's perfectly logical, Outertale." Sci showed him the screen, which was open to a page of Temporal Identity numbers. "You don't want to be confused with a different version, do you? Because there are millions of other Outertales in existence, and you're not the only one in a team. This is the easiest way to keep track of everyone."

Classic sighed and held up a hand for attention. "Look, you're both right. Let's just get back to business, okay? Sci, you've got the note. Give it to Outs. He needs to read, too."

After a moment, he begrudgingly handed the note over. Outs rose back up to the ceiling as soon as he had it.

"Thank you, brainiac!" Outs said, smiling down at the indignant mechanic. He didn't respond.

"... So, any input?" Classic watched Outs read the note, trying to guess what he was thinking.

He frowned, still staring at the paper. "Well... This feels weird. I... I actually think, y'know, maybe we should trust him. He's never lied about stuff like this before, right? So... I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong, but still."

Sci rolled his eyes. "'Trust' isn't the point. He's bitten off more than he can chew. This has nothing to do with whether or not he's being honest."

"I know! But he's also really strong. If he wants to try to do this on his own, we should let him. It's not like he can't come back; we'll just ask his FC to Reload their file."

"... That might not work. They might Save in the time it takes for us to figure out he's, er... Out-of-commission and go find them. Besides, we don't know the state of his timeline. We could walk right into a No Mercy Run, or beyond the end of Pacifist. There's too much risk."

"Oh, come on, Sci! You don't care if your experiments are dangerous, but now? We should at least let him try."

Blaster interrupted the argument by stepping in between the two. "That's enough."

"We're not finished!" The scientist glared at the fusion, shoving the device back into his pocket and crossing his arms.

Blaster just shook his head. "Oh, I think you are. I'll take care of this. Just calm down a little. Maybe do what you do best and prove we're all idiots in comparison?"

Sci huffed and shuffled away from the group a few feet, standing by the entrance. The tent was stiffly silent for a moment.

Eventually, Classic cleared his voice, breaking the silence.

"... So, uh... Who wants to go wake up the edgelord?"

Before anyone could volunteer, though, Outs waved from the highest point of the ceiling. He held up a segment of the tent's cloth and pointed outside. "Oh, I don't think that's gonna be a problem. Might wanna step away from the door if you don't want to get trampled, though."

Sci raised an eyebrow. "... What do you-"

Suddenly, the door flew open. Sci's question cut off abruptly as a whirlwind of panic burst into the tent, knocking him over - although the culprit didn't seem to care or notice.

Fell's eye was trailing bubbles of gold magic, face contorted in worry.

"H-he's gone!" The anxious monster rushed over to Classic and grabbed the leader's shoulders. "Swaps is g-gone! We have to f-find him! H-h-he could've gotten lost, or something showed up and-... A-and, I don't know, j-just..."

A low chuckle came from behind him. Blaster shook his head, well aware of the scolding he was about to receive.

Fell let go of Classic and whirled to face Blaster, magic now sparking crimson.

"W-why are you laughing?! This is serious, Blaster! It's not a goddamn joke! Swaps is gone, and I don't know what happened, a-and DON'T FUCKING LAUGH! THIS IS NOT OKAY!"

The fusion rolled his eyes. "I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Calm down, he's not missing. Swaps left a note. Guess your b-"

"GSans, we get the point." Classic pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Fell turned back to him and scowled. "No, I want to know what's going on! This is the Antivoid, for god's sake - why is nobody worried?!"

"... Fine. I don't have it any more, but yeah, he left a note. He wants to go fix the anomaly on his own. Not that we're gonna let him, seeing as it's not a one-person job."

"Then why're we all just standing here?!"

An annoyed voice reprimanded from the floor. "I'm _working on it_."

Sci begrudgingly got up and shouldered past the leader, pulling out the device again. "Look. We can find him easily. There is no reason for you to be so ornery over a simple mistake of communication."

Fell's expression twisted into a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Blaster set a hand on both of their shoulders. "Hey, uh... You're both right, and you're both wrong. Fell, you need to calm down, but... Well, Sci's right that this is kind of a waste of time. So, Einstein, mind figuring out that tracking thing so we can get moving?"

The mechanic didn't respond at first. He looked between Blaster and Fell, wearing a distasteful look. After a moment, though, he reluctantly nodded.

"... Alright. But I do expect that you'll all leave me alone to get the work done. Do we have a deal?"

Sci held his hand out to the other monster.

Fell shrugged. "Yeah, okay, whatever. I don't care, as long as it's done before Swaps gets in trouble. Deal." He shook Sci's hand.

There was yet another beat of uncomfortable silence, until Outs decided to finish it by dropping right between the two. He hung upside down in the air, arms crossed behind his head in a relaxed pose.

"Then, I do believe it's A-okay! So let's go and actually do something productive! Good plan? Good plan. Props to me for thinking of it!"

He kept rambling to himself, striking an overly dramatic pose to punctuate each comment. "Why, thank you, me! 'No, no, any less would be just unfair.' Aww, thanks again! I'm too flattering! 'Oh, don't be so harsh on yourse-'"

"That's enough." Fell reached up and tried to cover Outs' mouth, but, thanks to his height, only managed to pat the comedian's forehead.

Outs just laughed and lightly slapped the hand away. "There's never enough jokes. You, sir, are in denial."

Before Fell could protest, Classic chuckled. "Yeah, but I don't think it's about comedy. This guy just has bad taste," he said, putting a hand on the shorter monster's shoulder.

That earned a half-smile from Blaster. He rolled his eyes, copying Fell's stance, and set one hand on the other shoulder.

"Okay, I think we can let him off the hook now. Guy's heard enough of our amazing jokes for one meeting. 'Sides, we have work to do."

Fell shifted out of the way, already uncomfortable with those two being in his personal space. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look smaller. "Um... Yeah. We're not gonna waste any more time, right?"

"Nah. Like you said, Swaps needs us out there, right? Can't just leave him hanging."

"... Please don't phrase it like that."

Blaster shrugged. "Don't see why not, but alright."

"... So," Classic began, shoving his hands back into his jacket pockets, "Guess that means it's time to split up again. Uh... Sci, you stay here and do your math stuff. Me and G should probably check around and see if we can spot him anywhere close."

"Fair enough."

"And as for Fell... Outs, keep an eye on him. Don't want him freaking out again, right?" Classic smiled, chuckling quietly to offset the negativity aspects of the comment. There was something in his face, though, that made the request seem like... A warning, maybe?... Hmm.

Outs nodded, lifting into the air again. "Can do. No nervous breakdowns on my watch!"

The skeleton in question scoffed and sunk into his enormous coat a bit. "It's not that bad."

"Edgy, you're kind of a house of cards. Chances are fifty-fifty; None of us are about to bet on either outcome. So, let's just agree to disagree, and plan for the worst."

"That's not helping."

"Okay, okay, sheesh. Off to a rough start this morning, as always, I see. Good to know somebody here's acting normal."

Blaster sighed. "I'm heading out. C, you coming or not?"

"Right behind ya," the leader confirmed, walking out the door. "Or maybe I should say, in front of ya."

"Pffft... Ha, ha, very punny. You're getting worse at this. Good thing my sick jokes are nothing to sneeze at."

"... That might be stretching it a little."

By the time they'd left, Sci was already trying to shoo Fell and Outs from the tent.

"That's your cue, as well. Move, I can't think with you two crowding my workspace!" He picked up a seemingly random tuning fork from the floor and waved it at the entrance.

Outs drifted over the engineer's head as he floated towards the door. "Request noted, Doctor Frankenstein."

Sci scoffed and crossed his arms. "That's completely inaccurate. Doctor Frankenstein was a fictional madman who tried to create an abomination that defied all laws of science. Additionally, you've also called me 'Einstein' today. Make up your mind."

The comedian laughed. "Request denied, Ben Franklin."

"Now, you are just being-... Oh, never mind. Just go do whatever it is you do when I'm not around to make sure you're not being idiotic and reckless."

"That, I can do."

Outs finally drifted out of the tent, where Fell was already waiting. He'd left as soon as the other skeletons' antics became too petty to listen to.

"Are you done being weird?" Fell raised a brow, still passively walking away from the meeting's setting. He only glanced at Outs when the joker floated up beside him, matching an even pace. "It's like you just forgot about everything that's wrong right now. What's with you guys today?"

"Huh?... Oh. Yeah, I guess I did zone out a little there, heh. Nothing's wrong, though. That meeting went pretty well, actually! No shouting! Maybe a couple awkward silences, but I'm taking that as a success."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then, what did you mean?"

Fell shook his head. "... I don't know what's up with this, but you don't seem to care much about Swaps... Um... Being gone. Like there's no chance of anything going wrong. I... I know there's no point in being worried, but... This place is dangerous. He could get hurt. Why does nobody care?"

"Huh?" Outs floated in front of Fell, hanging nearly upside down again. "Of course we care. We just know he can take car of himself, too. Like you said, no point in being worried. Either he'll be just fine, or we'll have tried our best to help. That's all we can do, right?"

... There was no response for a moment.

Fell's collarbone tightened around his head, raising his shoulders in a reflex attempt to hide his face in the mountain of gray fur lining the hood of his coat. He crossed his arms rigidly - this time, not as a sign of anger, but a nervous tic.

"... I know. I just... I have a bad feeling. Maybe it's just in my head, but I can't stop. I... I'm sorry. Let's just stop talking about it; it's not gonna fix anything, so..."

Fell started walking away, still wound up in a tight circle.

Outs watched him, taking careful note of the monster's stance and pace. Yep, just as suspected; same type of unfaltering worry that always came over him when something went even slightly off routine. It wouldn't do any good to just let it rise without intervention, though. There had to be something that might help...

... Well, there was already one thing at the top of Outs' head. He could give Fell the note.

But Classic seemed to want to keep it under wraps... Although, what reason could there be for the leader hiding this information? Yeah, he'd never really gotten along with Underfell variants, but that didn't justify it.

Outs quickly weighed his options, but to be honest, he'd already made his decision. After a no moment, he fished the crumpled paper out of his pocket.

"So, uh... By the way, Swaps left this for us. C seems a little too bitter right now to stop being ridiculous and just give it to you, but..."

Fell turned around slightly. He looked at the paper for a second, eyes full of skepticism, but took it without hesitation.

Outs smiled. "Yeah, thought you might want it. Just don't tell C, okay? Don't wanna be put on pun restriction again."

The other monster mumbled a noncommittal "sure", already scanning through the flowery lettering. Oh well. Classic probably wouldn't get too mad, right?... Then again, today has been full of surprises.

Still, Outs wasn't about to pick a side of his own team. This was just the right thing to do. Probably. Honestly, he didn't really care, as long as it wouldn't weigh on his conscience later.

***

Meanwhile, the team was out of time.

The Anomaly was huge. From far away, it looked like a cloud of black fog, faint and harmless. Inconsequential, even.

Swaps knew better than to believe that, though.

About half a mile away, he stopped. Or was it a full mile? Or a quarter?... Oh well. It didn't matter. As long as it hadn't noticed him yet, the distance was irrelevant.

The knight swung his backpack off of his shoulders in a smooth, practiced movement. Before it had even stopped and came to rest, he opened the main pocket and tipped the whole bag over, dropping the contents onto the ground.

He'd already known what he would actually need for this mission, back when the Anomaly was first reported - maybe at the expense of other, slightly less important things that he'd forgotten - so he'd packed accordingly. There wasn't much in the bag; just a few necessary tools. Swaps sat down with the pile of equipment in front of him and set the bag aside. It wouldn't be useful from here on out, anyway.

First, he picked up the chain bandolier. The weathered metal had been twisted and mottled over time, but, just as promised, it fit across his torso perfectly; allowing for movement without leaving room for any of the items in its slots to fall out mid-battle. In the slots were two rows of glass vials, each one about the size of a rifle bullet and filled with cold, multicolored liquid. At the point where the two bands of chain met across the chest, there was a square pocket, about four inches thick, ten wide, and eight tall. The faint buzz of metal and magic working in unison emanated from the pocket. To be honest, Swaps didn't know what most of these things were going to do; safety aside, he didn't care.

At the lowest point of the bandolier's straps, two leather sheaths had been sewn into the chain. Again, they were the perfect size for the job; the two thin swords he'd packed with the bandolier fit snugly, but had enough extra room to pull out at a moment's notice.

The last item, an iron-plated wood shield, was attached to the back of the apparatus. Unlike the other items, it was set loosely, allowing him to equip it faster. He knew from experience that the time spent dragging the shield out of a tight holder might cost him the battle, and...

Well, he didn't want to consider what else.

With the rig ready, Swaps nodded and stood up. He turned in a circle, noting the difference in weight, then checked for any spots that might not fit as well as he'd initially thought.

Alright. Time to get this over with. Maybe, if he was lucky, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as he remembered. Maybe he could actually handle it this time, if he just tried a little harder to get it right.

Swaps couldn't help but laugh at himself. Denial wasn't going to solve anything.


	8. Hurricane

Soon enough, Swaps had quietly snuck up to the Anomaly, pausing just a couple yards away from its perimeter. From here, he could almost see through the dense smog to... Whatever was hiding in there. Every time he'd confronted this before, he hadn't managed to get close to the center.

There was one thing he was certain of, though. If the Anomaly was alert enough to sense the team's presence and call them out here, then it should definitely know he was there, too, only a few feet away.

It was toying with him.

A chill ran down the knight's spine, making him shiver. Wow, this never got any easier...

At least he'd gotten used to this part, though. He shook his head to clear away some of the building fear and reminded himself that the emotion was just a side-effect. It was his job to ignore it. This wouldn't last forever; the faster he could get this done, the faster it would leave, and everything would go back to normal for a little while.

... Alright, maybe one last pep talk. That would do the trick! Now, what was the motto again?... Oh, right. "Fear is the groundwork for bravery."

Swaps repeated it under his breath until the words blended together and the apprehension holding him back was gone. Yeah, mottos were kind of cliché, but as long as it worked, he didn't mind.

Now he was ready... Or, as ready as he could be.

The armored skeleton, tiny in comparison to the massive Anomaly of smoke and twisting, indistinct shapes, stepped up to the edge of the perimeter.

He ran through the mental checklist.

Remember to take deep breaths. Keep an eye out for a surprise at all times. Do not lose your footing. Do not get caught. Do not lose your weapons.

Finally, he stepped forward into the darkness.

...

Yep, definitely wasn't any easier.

Now, he could barely see ten inches ahead of him. When he looked down, his feet were completely covered in the haze. Shoot. What if something tried to knock him down with a low sweep? What if he got snagged on something? What if...

... No. How many times was he going to let the worst-case scenario get the better of him? Now was not the time to worry about what-ifs. Now was the time to focus.

A few more steps forward. This time, he dragged his feet, moving slowly so as not to miss anything. If the enemy came close enough to see, he had to be ready.

Left, right, left, right, left, right. Every step seemed to take hours. Any moment now, something was going to go wrong. He just knew it.

But he had to keep going. The others were counting on him. Everyone was counting on him!

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right...

There.

For a moment, Swaps thought his vision was fading. He squinted, trying to make out the shadow dead ahead.

Before he could figure out what it was, though, something lurched out of the shape and slammed into his stomach.

He stumbled back. Whatever had hit him slunk back into the smoke. Swaps reached back and grabbed the shield, ready for another attack.

This time, he saw it coming. Another figure appeared to the left. He swung the shield, catching the projectile just as it would've hit. A second burst flew at him, but with the shield in its way, it was harmless.

The knight paused to catch his breath. A low chuckle escaped his throat.

"Two against one? That's just rude." He blocked another blast from the first figure; the pattern was already starting to make sense again. As long as he didn't screw up too bad in the next couple of seconds, it would be smooth sailing for... Well, only about half a minute, but it was more than enough time.

Three more shots. Three more blocks. Another figure to the right. Five shots, all three directions; five blocks.

One shot, one block, two shots, another shot, three, all blocked. Fourth figure. Four shots from behind. Rapid-fire in a circle. One, two, three, four blocks, one back, one left, one forward, one right, two back, two left, two forward, two right, three back, three left, three forward, three right. Almost too easy.

... The attacks stopped. The figures melted back into gray smoke, allowing Swaps a moment to put away the shield and prepare for the next onslaught. Practice was over.

He knelt down, slid the shield back into its holder, and quickly pulled out one of the swords and a vial from the bandolier, setting the sword on the ground with one hand still holding the handle. The other fumbled with the vial of potion - he still wasn't sure what this stuff did, but at least the enemy and its dolls hated it. That was all he needed to know.

Swaps poured the potion onto the blade, then put the empty vial back into its slot.

Ready. The knight stood up again and took off running towards the middle of the Anomaly, the sword trailing behind him slightly. He could almost feel the seconds running down. Twenty left. Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen. Sixteen. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve. Eleven. Ten. Nine...

A low hum began emanating from seemingly everywhere at once.

Eight. Seven. Six.

Swaps' foot clipped something under the fog.

Five. Four.

At the edges of his vision, he could see the smoke lighting up. He pretended not to see it and kept running at full speed.

Three. Two.

He could almost feel the air charging magic.

One.

Now!

Swaps slammed one heel into the ground. Once, before this had become so instinctual, he probably would've been surprised that the smooth Antivoid surface had turned into dirt. At this point, though, he was just thankful for something he could use to brake.

The other leg swung out from underneath him. He fell to the ground as the attacks kicked into full force again.

Two columns of solid magic shot out of the mist above him, crossing where he would've been if he'd kept running.

Swaps raised the sword between the columns and sliced it through the intersection. Both of them shriveled up and dissipated, hissing faintly.

He slid out of the way of another tendril aimed for his head. Scrambling to his feet, he cut it in half. Three down, plenty to go.

A fourth tentacle whistled past, nearly catching his arm. He spun away, dodging eight more that appeared in succession.

He swung the blade down on the closest one, but it just bounced off. What?

Oh, right! The potion probably wore off. Before the enemy could take advantage of his mistake, he took out another vial and threw it over the tentacles, then tried slicing through again.

They withered before the sword even made it all the way through. That was more like it!

There was no time to celebrate, though. More were already coming; he could hear magic charging in the air already. He had to keep moving.

He doused the sword in potion again before setting off towards the middle of the anomaly. This time, he had a moment to acknowledge the shift in environment; within seconds, the ground had changed from mud to snow. Perfect for a distraction, awful for controlled movement.

... The shield would be useless here, unless he somehow built enough momentum to sled through the attacks, which wasn't very likely. Better set up the other sword, as soon as he had a minute to-

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light ahead. A column of magic shot out of nowhere.

Swaps tried to stop, but couldn't find any resistance in the thin snow. The column caught him square in the chest, sending the knight sprawling on the ground.

No. No, no, no, he had to get up, this was nothing!

Before he could get back to his feet, though, a set of figures melted out of the smoke around him. He pulled out the shield just in time to stop the barrage of flying projectiles.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to fail. He couldn't let everyone down!

The shots kept firing, one after another, pelting the shield like hail - that is, if every bit of hail was the size of a bowling ball.

Swaps pulled his hand out of the handle and angled the shield to cover him like a turtle's shell, then took out two more vials and the other sword. Any moment now, the tactics would change again - that would be the opening he needed.

As soon as both blades were prepped, he braced his knees against the shield. The shots fired faster, without a pattern; all he could do now was wait for a pause and hope he remembered the next step right.

... The onslaught faltered for a split second as the surrounding smoke began glowing.

Swaps shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore the low whine of building magic.

Three, two, one...

As the smoke sparked with potential energy, the figures stopped, dispersing into the air again to make way. Perfect.

Swaps rocked back, then forward, and kicked the shield out of the way. It sailed into the air, allowing the wielder to slide out of the way just as a dozen sharpened columns lanced through the spot on the ground where he'd just been stuck. Before they could disappear back into the smoke, he scrambled to his feet and drove both swords through the cluster.

There was a thundering hiss as the tentacles decayed, fizzling out into shreds of burned tissue before fading completely. The shield finally dropped on top of the two dust-covered swords.

... No figures appeared. The air remained dark. This first section was complete.

Swaps took a deep breath. Yes, he had a break for now, but as soon as he began moving again, the fight would kick back in at full force. He still had a long way to go before reaching the center.

What was particularly frustrating was the fact that he's been caught off guard. Maybe if he was new to this, it would've been fine, but the fact was that he wasn't doing his best. If he kept it up like this, he wouldn't even make it through the next round.

That battle was pathetic. He'd forgotten to reapply the potion once; he forgot about the first turret figure, and the hurdle column. He'd trapped himself under the shield! How was he supposed to win if he still had trouble with the very first layer?!

He shook his head. No, this wasn't fair. He was trying, right? Eventually he would get it right, and then he could calm down. Then he could go back, without worrying about how long it was going to last. Everything would be fine. He would fix this, and go back home, and help the others, and not let anyone down. He would set things right.

... He was running himself in circles again. This wouldn't accomplish anything. So, why couldn't he just ignore it and finish the job?

Swaps sighed. The others would've known what to do. Sci would come up with a machine to take down all of the Anomaly's defenses, or Blaster would just dematerialize a little bit so the attacks couldn't hurt him. Classic would be able to dodge everything without slipping up... Outs could fly above and drop into the middle.

And Fell... Okay, maybe Fell would have a hard time not getting hit, too. But at least he could use magic! The turrets wouldn't stand a chance against a living flamethrower!

... No. This was his responsibility. The others shouldn't have to face this, anyway. They just had to stay blissfully unaware until this mistake was corrected.

Time to keep moving. He repeated the motto again - "fear is the groundwork for bravery. Loss is the canvas for hope" - applied an extra layer of potion to the swords, placed the shield in its holster, and set off running.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Just like every other time, the barrage started again, this time with two rows of alternating turrets. This round had been difficult once, too, but now, it was just a matter of swinging his shoulders far enough to block the blasts.

By the time the columns appeared again, he already had both swords raised. The first shot out from the right; Swaps jumped over it, dragging the blade behind him. Three more from 10:00, 12:00, and 2:00, aimed slightly upwards. He slid underneath, cleanly slicing the two on the sides first, then using the third to climb back to his feet before hacking it to sparking ribbons. Another from the right, then one on the ground like a tripwire. He just used the first one as a jumping board for extra height.

Slice to the left, right dodge, forward stab, refill blades, jump, block right, spin, slide, refill, jump, swing both swords up, spin, jump, refill, pause. Slightly more difficult, but still manageable.

The pattern was just like he remembered. As long as he stayed on track like this, instead of slipping up like last time, it would be smooth sailing. If nothing else, he would make some progress. He just had to keep going.

A set of columns crossed the path, each about waist-high. He slid under the first, then climbed onto the next, and used the rest as stepping stones. Three more turrets fired from the left, but it was a simple matter to outrun them.

He was halfway through the second gauntlet already. For a moment, the challenge seemed much less threatening.

He hopped off of the columns, one hand already pulling out the shield again. Five more turrets sat dead ahead, each preparing to fire ten blasts.

Swaps dropped to his knees and rammed the shield down into the snow between him and the turrets. He turned to brace his back against the makeshift wall and covered his head, just in case it failed.

The air erupted with the sound of raw magic colliding with iron and wood. The scent of unnatural fire, almost like melting plastic and rot, made the knight's face scrunch up in distaste. One, two, three, four, five shots, in rapid succession. Multiple tiny explosions that together sounded like fireworks going off two feet away. The creaking and fracturing wood, ready to split in two with just a few more blasts. Shouting voices in the distance. Snow sizzling and evaporating into-...

... Wait. Voices?

Swaps lowered his arms, forgetting in his surprise that the barrage was still firing - it didn't take long for him to regret letting in the noise. Still, before he covered his head again, he'd definitely heard someone. Multiple someones, according to the few shreds of information he was able to make out.

And, since he was still only in the first layers... It had to be coming from outside.

Oh, no.

***

"... So this is it."

Classic paced the Anomaly's border, a few yards away from its limits. For something so huge, it seemed kind of... Docile, maybe, in comparison to what glitches of this size were supposed to be.

Sci was standing behind the leader, still focused on the tiny computer. "Yes. Data reads that Swaps is somewhere within the smoke. Unfortunately, the scanner seems unable to narrow down his current position, with this mixed code in the way."

Classic stopped and looked at the screen, then nodded. "Hmm. Guess we're on our own. Shouldn't be too bad, though, right?"

"What're we waiting for, then?" Fell shouted from the back of the group. "We know he's out there somewhere. That's all we need."

He shouldered past Blaster, Sci, and Classic, walking right up to the border. Before he could step through, Outs grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"Wait a minute. He seemed pretty scared before, talking about this thing. We don't know what's in there!"

"Which is why we need to hurry the hell up and find him!" He brushed off Outs' hand, glaring. "What am I supposed to do, just wait for you four while Swaps is in danger? Who do you think I am, some coward?!"

Blaster reached for the other arm and pulled Fell back from the border. "Usually, yes, but right now you're just being reckless. You wouldn't be much help dead."

Fell opened his mouth to respond, but closed it when he couldn't come up with anything.

"Hold up. Dead?" Classic glanced at the wall of smoke, then back at Blaster. "That's a bit of a stretch."

The taller monster just shrugged. "Like Outs said, we don't know what's in there. Plus, there's no way we're gonna be able to see more than a couple feet ahead in that smoke, and most of you only have one HP."

Classic thought in silence for a second. "... Huh. Guess you're right."

Sci, currently stuck outside of the little conference circle that had formed without him, sighed and walked up behind Blaster.

He tried to tap on the monster's shoulder, but as the shortest of the group, he was only tall enough to reach the middle of Blaster's back. The next logical step, of course, was to pull out a few pencils and smack the skeletal stick-bug across the back of the head with them.

Blaster slapped the spot where he'd been hit. "What the-... Okay, I don't think we brought any mosquitos through the gate with us, so I'm guessing that was mutiny." He turned slightly to face the scientist. "I get the point, Napoleon. What's the problem?"

"First, stop ignoring me." He put the pencils back into his lab coat's enormous pockets. "Second, if none of you are going to offer a half-decent solution, I may have one."

"Alright. Let's hear it."

"We currently have three problems; the Anomaly itself counts for one, as well as the fact that we don't know anything about it. Finally, we are also without the most versatile of our teammates, and judging by the look on Fell's face, we very well might have insubordination on our hands, too."

Fell's glare intensified. "I am not your subordinate!"

The scientist just returned a bored look. "Alright. Anarchy, then, but the point stands; you're stubborn enough that we can't talk you out of this, so if we don't want to lose another ally today, we're just going to have to comply. Of course, that doesn't just mean walk in blindly; we need a loophole - in this instance, quite literally." He pushed a few buttons on the device, bringing a scan map onscreen. He held it out for the others to see. "I'm not certain why it's there, but I've noticed that there's a space in the middle of this smoke cloud that the scanner can read just fine. I believe that it's a healthy patch of code, and it may help me figure out what this is, exactly. However, it's a huge distance away; this cloud seems to continue for miles. If Swaps is in trouble, we won't be able to reach him in time."

"You're running on thin ice, brainiac," Fell growled through clenched teeth. "If we lose him, you, personally, are the one I'm gonna blame."

"Oh, what would you do, anyway? You're so scared of violence that you literally wouldn't be able to harm a fly. Besides, I'm not done." He stepped away a couple feet and continued. "Anyway... As much as I can appreciate strength in numbers, it appears that the most effective solution is to split up. Blaster and I can find the safe space and analyze it, while you and Classic search the cloud. Once you've found Swaps, meet us back here; we'll come back as soon as I've gotten the information I need. We can work out a plan to take care of the dead code afterwards. Outs, I need you to float over the cloud and keep an eye out. I doubt there will be anything visible through all of that smoke, but just in case."

He handed Blaster the device, pointing to an area of the screen that looked lighter than the rest.

"... Okay. Sounds doable. Might be a little farther than I'm used to, but it's the best we've got, so..." He angled the device so that Classic could read the screen, too. "Pretty good, right?"

It took a few seconds for the leader to respond. After a moment, he nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "Yeah. Let's go."

Sci smiled and took the handheld computer back, but then nearly dropped it when he remembered something. "Wait, wait! I'm still not finished. I, um... I've made something that I'm quite proud of, and I haven't really had much opportunity to test it out before - outside of the lab, anyway. Outs, thank you again for the assistance - but I am certain that it will come in handy."

Fell sighed and crossed his arms, but stayed away from the border, despite his impatience. "Alright, alright, what is it?"

The mechanic dug his hands into his pockets, looking for the machines. It took a few moments of searching, but soon he took out a small cloth bag, only about the size of an apple. He zipped open the top and shook out the contents... Several more tiny bags. These were plastic, and each were dyed a specific color.

Sci handed a red one to Fell, then a gold one to Blaster. Dark blue for Classic; brilliant purple for Outs. The last two were silver and teal; he stuffed the teal one back into the carrier.

"Please be very, very careful with these. They are incredibly delicate, and I can't just fix them on the spot, so... Anyway, these machines are communicators. Radios, in a way." Sci carefully broke open the packaging of the silver one and held up the tiny machine for the others to see.

The radio looked like a mess of wires and lights, tangled in knots. Sci held one hand over it; the radio glowed faintly in the shadow.

"I realize they don't look like much, but... Well, they were actually rather difficult to work out. You see, most devices like these can't function across Verse Barriers, and rely on steady code to uphold a medium through which radio waves can transmit. Thus, phones and most other communication units are useless out here, and can be destroyed if exposed to faulty code for too long. These, on the other hand... Instead of locking them onto Verse matter or coordinates, they're built to recognize Temporal Identities. This way, they can draw power from extraneous reserves within the host - which will be used not only to power the device, but to create their own medium for radio waves!"

"... Huh. Didn't understand most of that, but sounds impressive." Blaster opened the gold bag and picked the radio out.

Before he'd even touched the machine, it curled towards his hand and latched on like vines. It pulled itself up by the wires attached to the skeleton's hand, then started climbing up the wrist.

"Um... Is it supposed to do that?" Classic asked, staring at Blaster's radio with a look of unease.

Sci nodded and set his own device on his arm. It wrapped itself around the mechanic's wrist, as well. "Yes, of course! These machines were made to recognize their owners and... Well, react accordingly. Unfortunately, each one only works for one person, so they can't be replaced without knowing the wearer's TI. I doubt that will be a problem just yet, though. On the other hand, it also means that they're incredibly easy to use; I built them so that as long as they are attached to their owners, they don't need to be activated manually. They just know you want to use them! I'm particularly fond of that bit."

The leader eyed his radio skeptically, well aware of how many times Sci's inventions had gone up in flames. Literally, in some cases. He reluctantly tore open the bag, careful not to get too close to the device. Before he could get a good look at it, though, it pushed itself out of the plastic casing and climbed up onto Classic's right wrist.

Outs floated down next to him, already wearing a radio. "Okay, ready to leave now? Any more waiting and I think Edgeface is just going to leave."

"Yeah," Classic confirmed. "Guess we'll just have to see if these things work in action, huh?"

Sci smiled. "They do. I can guarantee it."

"... Good to know. I'll, uh... See you three later, then. Good luck."

Already prepared to fade out, Blaster let out a confident chuckle. "Won't need it, but thanks."

Before anybody could respond, he set a hand on Sci's shoulder and disappeared, taking the mechanic with him.

A second later, Outs started lifting into the air. "Guess that's my cue, too. Careful out there, okay?"

"We'll be fine, space cadet." Classic waved passively as the other monster faded out of sight.

He walked over to the smoke field's border. This didn't look too dangerous... Of course, that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Naturally, he expected his teammate to step forward first, but for a moment, Fell just stayed silent.

After a moment, he spoke up, still not moving from his position barely a foot away from the Anomaly. His voice was dry and weak, like he was remembering something that he would rather have just pushed down. "So, C, seems like, um..." The skeleton's voice cracked. "Uh, sorry, really sorry, I was just thinking, maybe... Er... What do you think's in there?"

Classic shrugged. "No idea. Lotta smoke. A couple Corrupteds, maybe, if we're lucky. And if we're unlucky, an Error wouldn't be a surprise."

The other monster looked at him with fear in his eyes. If there was an Error out in the smoke, and Swaps was stranded, all alone, with no one to keep him away from trouble...

The fear disappeared, replaced by fiery resolve. Swaps had to be okay. He wouldn't accept anything less. Finally, Fell shook his head, tightened his jacket's drawstrings, and stepped forward into the smoke.


	9. Lightning Strikes Before Thunder

Swaps ran in a blurred panic, the sounds of turrets and columns firing in a maelstrom of destructive magic nearly drowned out by that of his own Soul pounding in his ribs. Or maybe that was his feet beating the ground harder than he could remember ever before. Either way, it wasn't helping him calm down.

The others were here, and they were looking for him. They were somewhere in the middle of a death trap built for trained fighters like him who'd learned it over hundreds of reruns, over and over again, changing and manipulating itself every time just to be more difficult and bring out the very worst in its lab rats. If he couldn't beat it, with advice and equipment and practice, the others didn't stand a chance.

He shook his head in an attempt to rid the panic, but only succeeded making himself more upset as he caught sight of a set of turrets through a break in the smoke. The group was split into two sections; one to herd a victim into the target zone, one to deal the deathblow. An array of columns hung over it to keep them from flying or teleporting away. If Outs had tried to lead the group, that would be the perfect trap. What if he already had been cornered? Swaps was too far away to see if there was any dust.

Wait, no, this was the Antivoid. It was literally impossible to be dusted out here. You could be injured, yes; you could be torn apart, blasted to shrapnel, hung by a noose from fifty feet and then dropped on your spine. You still wouldn't be dead. It was torture, but you wouldn't dust as long as you didn't get dragged to some universe with defined entropy.

There was no limp, atrophied form hanging from the columns. Nothing was lying on the ground, being pummeled by the turrets. That, Swaps could see. Outs wasn't there. And if that trap hadn't caught him, he probably wasn't this far into the gauntlet yet.

Okay. He could still be okay.

The corral disappeared from view, obscured by gray smoke again. Still, it took a second for Swaps to tear his eyes away from what very well could've been his friend's death site.

... But if that trap was here, were there others like it? Ones built perfectly for people who hadn't even been through the gauntlet before? Was there something that could render anything Sci might build to defend himself completely useless? Would Blaster somehow get stuck in the middle of a column cluster and forget how to fade out again? Would Classic wear himself out by overusing his Gaster Blasters and wind up lost and surrounded? And... Oh, god. It wouldn't even need anything fancy or special to... Finish them off. The last one was slower; he couldn't get out of the way of a basic turret fast enough, probably. Columns would be a little easier to dodge, seeing as those had a charging period, but...

Oh, screw it! Fell wasn't just some set of numbers! He was in danger, maybe without even knowing it, and all Swaps was doing was trying to stop himself from thinking about it?

The knight could almost feel nonexistent blood run cold. He was going to stop this. Nobody was going to die. He just had to hurry up and find them.

***

Meanwhile, still in the farthest outside layer of the smoke cloud, Fell and Classic had no idea what they were doing.

They'd only walked a few meters in so far, and the only thing either skeleton could see was smoke, smoke, and more smoke. No sign of the runaway.

Classic squinted his eyes in an attempt to improve his vision, but the smoke was too dense for it to make much of a difference. "... Huh. Guess we're just going to have to be careful. Watch your step."

Fell tapped his foot impatiently. "I am watching. And no, we don't have to be careful. It's just a little smoke! C'mon, are you just gonna stand there and talk, or are you going to help?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm moving. Give me a second, though. I'm going to ask if Outs has seen anything yet."

  
"Ugh, fine. Just... Hurry up."

Classic nodded, distracted. Before he'd even raised his arm, the radio attached to his wrist had already flickered to life. Honestly, these things were kind of creepy, but they at least didn't seem to be explosive.

He brought the machine up a few inches away from his face and spoke. "Hey, everyone. This is C. Outertale, report. Any chance you can see Swaps from up there?... Or, uh, anything at all?"

... The line remained silent for a moment, until a distinctly fake British accent filtered through. "If you've finished your message, you have to say 'over'. Have you ever watched a movie in your life? Over."

The leader sighed. Yep, that was the Sci he knew. "Okay, then. Outs, still need a report. Over."

There was a quick pop of static before a second voice responded. "Okay. So, um... I can't really make anything out on the ground, but I can, sort of, see how things are moving. I... Probably am not explaining this well enough. And also, you two stand out a lot, since the smoke is just this clear grayish color, so I can also track your movement. Sort of. I... Don't know if any of what I'm saying actually makes sense, but... There's that?... I'm not at the top of the cloud yet, but it's thinner up here. So I can see a little bit of color in the lower layers. Anyway, as for anything up ahead... It's pretty calm out here, but farther in, there's, um... Activity. A lot of it, actually. Over."

Fell suddenly shuffled up to Classic's side. "Ask him what kind of activity. Is it Swaps? Is he okay?"

"Ask him yourself. You've got a radio, too." Classic rolled his eyes and stepped away, already turning back to the radio. "Anyway... Yeah, still have to ask. What do you mean? Over."

For a second, Outs didn't answer. When he did, though, his voice sounded a bit more hesitant. "... I... Don't know. All I can tell is that there's something going on that's pulling the smoke up here around like kites. The fast ones, too, not the regular old store-bought ones. Anyway, I don't think it's just one thing causing all this turbulence, so... Yeah. Probably not Swaps. Or, if it is him, he's not alone. Over."

"... Okay. We'll keep an eye out. New order: stay at the height you're at now. If you can, follow me and Fell. Give us a heads-up if you see any new patterns. Sound good? Over."

There was another static burst, and then Outs' voice cleared up again. "Can do. Also, I have a question. Hey, Sci, found anything in that bubble? Over."

... No response, except several quiet static pops. Classic shook his arm; maybe the radio was just messing up the transmission?

After that didn't seem to help, he guessed that Sci was pulling a joke or something. Maybe Outs wasn't regarded enough as a leader?... He'd have to have a talk with Sci later, if he didn't figure out the problem on his own. Might as well try again for now. "Hello? Earth to brainiac, you still there? Over."

At first, Classic thought he was being ignored, too. A few uncomfortable seconds later, though, Sci's voice finally responded.

"Hmm?... Oh! My apologies, I was just... Distracted. To answer your question, Outertale, yes... And, no, in a more accurate description. We've reached the safe zone, and... This is quite interesting. While it doesn't conform to the inoperable code around it, this space is just as detached from the Ley System as the rest of the anomaly, and - this is the most interesting part - it seems to be reacting to me and Blaster's presence. I can walk around the edges, but I can't enter the smoke, because it will just fade in front of me. And, even more curious, part of it is fading on its own! I think it wants me to go somewhere. Over."

"... Okay. Over."

"'Okay', what? Is that passive aggression I hear? This is all I know for now. If you have a problem with that, I don't see why-"

There was a sound of shuffling fabric as Outs shook his head on the other line. "No, no, nothing's wrong, just a little... Worried, I guess?... Haven't heard anything from Blaster, that's all. Hey, G, you okay? Over."

Yet again, an unsettling lull in the conversation.

Sci's voice broke through the silence, but he didn't seem to be speaking into the radio.

"... Blaster? Where did you... I know you can hear us! Please tell me where you are. We need to regroup immediately!"

Classic's breath caught. What was going on?

He almost didn't notice Fell listening over his shoulder. When the shorter skeleton noticed he'd been caught, he backed away a few inches, but still didn't bring out his own device. "Uh... Sorry."

"Are you going to use your radio or not?" Classic pointed with his free hand at the machine attached to Fell's wrist.

"... Oh. Right." The radio lit up without skipping a beat, and Fell reluctantly lifted it to his face.

The leader nodded before turning back to the conversation. "Sci, report. What's happening? Over."

The scientist's fake accent cracked for a moment. "Uh... I, ha, don't know. Blaster was here just a second ago, and... I'm looking around, and he's not here anymore. The smoke isn't parting in any direction now, except, I think, the same way it wanted me to follow a few moments ago. I... I know he put on the radio. He should be talking to us right now. Outs, please say you can tell where he is. Over."

"... I could, but that'd be a lie. You're too far away. If it's okay with C, I could come and help you, though. I'm a little out of practice with teleporting, so my aim might be a little off, but-"

"No! No, no, no, do not teleport! You could get lost, or fall through the missing Ley barrier, or be mixed into the broken code, or-..." Sci paused, took a deep breath, and then continued. "... What I meant to say was that you cannot teleport here. Blaster isn't matter-locked, so different rules apply, but the Ley here is too unstable. There is at least a fifty percent chance that you would be either flung out of the Antivoid through holes in the Ley, or disassembled by the Anomaly's fractured coding. There is also about a thirty percent chance of both occurring simultaneously, which would result in you being, uh... To be blunt, dusted. Over."

After a moment, Outs whistled uncomfortably. "Yeah, that... That sounds pretty painful. I'm definitely... Not going to do that. Sorry, buddy, but you're kind of on your own here. Over."

"Yes, I had assumed as much. Fell, Swaps, Blaster, and I don't have to be concerned with this, as we don't teleport, but, Classic, the warning applies to you. I would not suggest testing this, as being forcibly launched out of what is essentially an anti-entropic prison solitary cell directly through a two-foot-thick glass wall and then shot through a document shredder would not be a good way to die. Over."

The leader's eyes went wide. "Holy shit. Yeah, I think I got the point, so can we stop talking about it? Over."

"If you are absolutely certain of how awful and reckless that would be-"

"Yes, Sci, he's certain!" Fell nearly shouted over the radio, apparently unaware of the fact that it had a built-in microphone.

The line wailed feedback for a second, causing Classic to clap both hands on the side of his head to block the noise. He shot Fell a warning look, but the other Sans ignored him completely. Still, after recovering from the sharp sound, Fell lowered his voice. "... Uh... Sorry. That was loud. Alright, moving on from that subject now; what's the plan?"

The leader rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long mission. "I'm guessing that was the end of that message, so... Same as before, with a slight change. Sci, just follow the smoke. We don't know what's going on near your position, and Blaster can find his way back as long as he can teleport, so just stay out of danger and tell us if you find anything. Over."

"Also, please, please look for Swaps while you're at it. Over," Fell added.

Classic sighed. "No. Stay in the safe spot. Do keep an eye out for anything passing by. Over."

"For Swaps especially!"

"Anything. Not just Swaps. That's our job, Fell. Over."

"Fine. But also help us find Swaps."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was implied."

Sci interrupted before they could continue arguing. "Heh... I will tell you if I see him, but I don't think he will be this far into the Anomaly yet. So... Um... You'll have a better chance of finding him, but you need to move quickly. Over."

It took a second for either of them to make a decision, but Fell responded first. "... Huh. Let's get moving, then! C, you helping or not? Over."

"Yeah. Alright, everyone, let's go. Over."

"That's what I said. Over."

"... Okay." Classic just lowered the radio and ignored Fell's complaint. By now, he knew that allowing this to go on any further would be a waste of time.

When the other skeleton realized he wasn't getting a response, he sighed and turned off his own radio, then adjusted his jacket again and started walking further into the smoke. Classic trailed behind him a few feet, just close enough to see without inviting unnecessary interaction. Even though it was probably a blatant insult, Fell really didn't care; talking would just mean more time until Swaps was home, safe, with him. With the way everyone - or at least Classic - was acting, he wasn't sure he could stand five more minutes of small talk without punching someone. Not an option he was looking forward to.

They walked in silence for several minutes, but nothing changed. Still nothing but smoke, as far as either of them could see.

... Okay, maybe that wasn't quite right. The wind, or whatever was moving the smoke, did seem to be moving noticeably faster. There were a few moments when one of them thought they'd seen something out of the corner of his eyes, but it was either gone before they could figure out what it was, or it wasn't there in the first place.

Yeah. That had to be it. There was nothing darting around in the sidelines, and everything was going smoothly. They were going to find Swaps, and Blaster would just be hanging around the Anomaly border when they came back, and that tight feeling in Fell's marrow was just nerves as usual.

Any second now, Swaps would come out of the smoke, with no scratches or bruises or any damage at all, and he'd be absolutely fine, and he was going to be okay. Really, honestly okay. Any second now.

... No. Fell knew something had gone wrong here. Yes, Swaps was probably okay for now, but... There was something missing. If this Anomaly wasn't a threat, Swaps wouldn't have left.

The most clever, intuitive, talented warrior in the team would've just leave them all without a reason. Swaps wouldn't leave him.

What could've possibly scared the knight enough for this? Maybe there was an Error out here, but he'd faced those before. Corrupteds were a cakewalk for Swaps. So, what else?

Fell's thoughts were interrupted by a light tap on the shoulder. He whirled on his heel, expecting some kind of glitched monstrosity to have melted out of the gray background behind him, but instead, it was just Classic. Of course. Why would he expect otherwise?... Fell just shoved that line of thought away before it could finish.

After a moment, though, Fell noticed some changes in the leader's expression. His eyeridges weighed over his sockets, and his usual blank smile had tightened slightly. This was what Classic looked like when he was concerned, right?... About what, though?

Then Fell noticed his radio flashing a purple-ish color. Outs' voice filtered through again.

"Hey, wait! You're going to walk right into the... The thing. You know, the kite-wind thing. Yeah, that thing. Watch out, okay? Might still be dangerous."

Classic responded quickly. "Alright. Thanks for the heads-up. Any chance you could tell us which way has the least activity?"

"... Hmm... There's a little bit of room right through the middle that seems kind of calm - right in front of where you two are, actually! - but every couple seconds, the smoke goes absolutely berserk down there. So, that's out... And then we've got some side exits, but I don't think... Yeah, no side exits. This boundary seems to go on for quite a while in both directions, actually. Can't see any other openings..."

"You could fly us over," Classic suggested. "With your personal gravity thing, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

There were a few seconds of silence before Outs responded. "No, that's not the issue. I can't carry both of you at once, and I seriously doubt that leaving one behind would be a good idea. Besides, personal gravity only works on non-magical matter."

Fell opened his mouth to give an answer, but shut it when she couldn't think of anything to fix the issue.

... But they were running out of time. He glanced in the direction of the disturbance, before stepping closer. "We should just walk through."

At first, that just earned a bit of dismissive chuckling. Classic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay, let's go poke it with a stick. Good idea." Only after Fell had walked a few feet towards the disturbance did Classic consider if he was being serious. "... Wait, what?"

"We have to keep moving. The gap is just ahead, right? We just have to make it across."

Fell didn't even have to look at the leader's face to know how awful the idea sounded. A frantic argument piped out of the radio. "H-hold on, we still don't know what we're up against here. I'll... I can think of something else. Let's just be careful," Outs said.

Already waving for Classic to follow, Fell shook his head. "And 'careful' worked out great so far, didn't it? I'm done with waiting around for you guys to make up your minds, and I'm sick of not doing anything to change it. C'mon, we're running out of time."

After a moment of resigned consideration, Classic sighed and followed. Still, he had to ask... "Look, I know you're worried about Swaps and all, but it's not like he's in trouble. So, uh... what do you mean, 'running out of time'?" He thought for a moment, before another question appeared. "Have you figured out what this Anomaly is?"

"... No," Fell stated. The light on his radio faded as he lowered his arm.

"Okay... So you're mostly just worried."

"Of course not."

The leader sped up his pace to walk next to Fell. "Then do you have an answer or not? What're we late for?"

"... I don't know." Fell turned his head in the opposite direction and tightened his crossed arms.

"You don't know if you have an answer, or you don't know what's out there?"

"Neither... Er, both... I..." The shorter skeleton grit his teeth and turned his gaze to the ground. "Just trust me."

Classic reluctantly went back to walking next to the other. No answer, huh?... Maybe he could try one more time. "None of that makes any sense. I'm going to need a real explanation, not just a half-assed excuse."

At first, it seemed like he was being ignored. Fell took a deep breath and stopped, eyes closed, and let his arms down. After a few seconds, though, one of his hands balled up into a fist. A faint trail of red magic sparked in his undamaged eye, despite it being closed.

"I'm really, really trying to be nice about this. I am. But you're not making it any easier. I told you, I don't know what's happening, or what this thing is that we're stuck with, but I have a feeling it's about to get a million times worse. Now, usually I would just let it be, since, y'know, it's not reliable. But I swear to god, if Swaps gets hurt because I chose to ignore how threatening this Anomaly is when we don't have any idea what it's capable of... I..." Fell's voice sounded strained and cold, like it might break at any second. The glowing eye's hazy light sharpened, now closer to fire than magic.

Classic took a step back, holding one hand behind him, ready to summon a wall of blue attacks just in case. "... You'll what?"

... A few seconds of tense silence echoed the low whistle of magic as Fell tried to get his magic under control again, screwing his eyes shut even tighter in an attempt to push down the manifestation. He couldn't let it flare up like this. Not now, when he was already in trouble, and so much could be at stake...

The flare kept burning - faint, but still there, simmering with confusion and anger. He could almost feel Classic's stare on his back, well aware that he was already on thin ice. Either he could find a solution, ignore it and keep walking, or...

Yet another thought to cut off before it became overwhelming.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear away the white noise, but it just made the buzzing sound worse. Why did magic have to be so loud?

Finally, the flare died down to a negligible spark - but the noise persisted. The low, grainy hum seemed to bounce off of the walls of his skull, leeching into his marrow, bruising him from the inside out. If even shutting off his conscious magic wouldn't help... Goddamnit, where was it coming from?!

It hurt. It had to stop right now. Why was this happening to him? Why him? Why now? Out of every possible time, why did it have to happen _right now_ , when Swaps wasn't here to help, and nobody wanted anything to do with him, and Fell wasn't prepared and this wasn't supposed to happen now but it was and-

"LOOK OUT!"

Something heavy hit him square in the chest. Suddenly, he was being lifted off his feet and carried backwards by the same wave of motion.

The whine of magic faded away - just as a deafening crash sounded.

Then it was back, climbing pitch again, faster than before. That... Wasn't him. It wasn't his magic.

Another crash, this one closer.

The noise piped up for a third time. When the blast went off five seconds later, he could feel its force dragging him down in a current of air and magic.

They blended together - this was almost worse than the buzzing. For a moment, he heard Classic's voice mixed in, too, but the words were absorbed into the chaos.

Eventually, the blasts began dying down. About a minute in, they had tapered away, taking the ear-splitting screech with them.

... The movement slowed. Whatever was carrying him stopped, then set him down on the ground.

There were a few moments of empty silence, before the voice of a very dizzy Classic spoke up. "... Okay. O-okay. I... Have a l-lot of questions, but let's start with... Stop. Do not help me up. I'm fine. Look, I'm j-just gonna-... Screw it. I'll just stay here. Anyway. What the actual, honest-to-the-goddamn-angel-of-death, HELL was that?!"

"First of all, language. Second, we can talk later. There are more pressing matters at the moment."

That voice. That light, beautiful, silky voice. Fell recognized it from the first word.

His eyes flew open. For a second, his vision was too blurry to see much, but he didn't need to for something so instinctive. He sat up and reached out to where he'd heard the voice.

Before his eyes even had a chance to adjust, one of his hands contacted a plate of bone. Finally, his vision cleared, coming back into focus on a familiar face.

"Looks like someone's happy to see me, at least," Swaps said.


	10. Point of No Return

Fell could hardly believe his eyes. While he knew it had only been a few hours, it felt so much longer since Swaps had left - but now, just knowing that the knight was safe lifted a weight off of Fell's shoulders. Still, when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out. Despite the returned feeling of safety and relief, he couldn't find anything to say - and even if he could, he was too choked up to voice any of it. His throat felt clogged and stiff, as if instead of language, it was filling up with nothing but tears.

But he couldn't be crying. No, that would make him look... Weak, or something...

... Goddamnit. He was crying. Fuck, he probably looked awful. "... I-I... Sorry," Fell stammered, reaching for his hood.

Before he could raise it, though, Swaps placed a hand over Fell's. "No need to apologize. You're okay, right? No wounds?"

"Yeah." Fell nodded, lowering his hand from the hood.

The knight smiled. "That's all you need to worry about, then."

... For a moment, it remained quiet. Fell tried to figure out what his... Um, friend was thinking, but for once, Swaps' expression was unreadable. Sure, he was smiling, but... Fell could sense there was something further.

His thoughts were interrupted when Classic let out an annoyed groan. "Look, I know you two have a lot to catch up on, but this is not the time!" Classic lay on the floor, eyelights faded and spinning. The frustrated skeleton blinked a few times to get rid of the dizziness, but it returned after a few seconds. He raised his arm to his face, checking the radio's blinking lights. "... Shit. I think I broke my radio. No lights on... Today's just been one fuckup after another."

Swaps rolled his eyes and stood up, helping Fell to his feet. "Oh, you've been having a bad day? Yes, that totally justifies you not listening to me and staying away." He stepped over to where Classic was lying and crouched down. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"

Classic rubbed his forehead in an effort to clear away the dizziness. "Yeah, another mission. You're overreacting. Same as-..." He put both hands down to push himself off the ground, but immediately yanked them back when, instead of the smooth Antivoid floor, they contacted mud. "Huh? What the..."

At this point, Swaps was beginning to get impatient. He lifted Classic out of the dirt and set him back down on his feet. "I told you, you don't know what you're up against. Yes, the ground changed; no, we didn't leave the Antivoid."

"... That... Doesn't make any sense." Classic almost flinched as he stepped backwards into more mud. "This isn't how it works. Everything out here is supposed to be the same, not-"

The knight scoffed. "Not what, Classic? New? Clearly, you haven't been paying attention - this entire anomaly is new! Don't pretend you know what you're doing! I told you to leave this to me, and now... This is a disaster!" He threw his arms over his head, shaking slightly.

That was when Classic noticed the pocket.

As soon as he laid eyes on it, a prick of alarm ran down his spine. There was something wrong about it - he wasn't sure how or why, but it felt familiar... Come to think of it, why hadn't he noticed the noise earlier? It sounded like machinery; the same kind that made up robots like MTT back home. But... Different, in a way. More mechanical and calculated, maybe, but more loose, as well... Not necessarily magic, not necessarily metal...

But whatever the sound was, the source was set directly on top of his friend's Soul. That couldn't be good.

At first, he was hesitant to say anything. What if... What if that set it off, or... He didn't know exactly what he expected. But after a moment, he raised a hand and pointed at the pocket. "... Uh... So, by the way... What's with the new equipment?"

It took Swaps a second to process that he'd been spoken to. He looked down at the bandolier and lowered his arms. "Huh?... Well, it's... Complicated. To, uh..."

He trailed off, eyelights suddenly snapping to the left.

Classic was about to ask him why when the knight placed a hand over his mouth. "Shh. I'll explain later. Need to listen." Swaps glanced back at Fell, checking to make sure the other skeleton was still there, before returning his gaze to the surrounding smoke.

... Silence. The churning gray seemed to slow in the quiet. For a moment, it remained peaceful and stagnant.

Then, though, the smoke parted.

Among the silver-black waves, a twitching white box appeared. The glitched panel divided, breaking into two; again, to four, to eight, to sixteen, to a shifting mess of damaged information, hanging about five and a half feet over the ground. Behind it, the smog gave way to a lanky, skeletal Lost Soul.

The thing shuddered and slumped forward, one arm dragging behind its back. A jumble of syllables and words emanated from its head behind the glitches.

"[What-][-no reason-][-lost...][-useless-][-this is wrong!][I'm a-][-alone.][-don't deserve-]"

The three onlookers recognized it immediately.

Swaps removed his hand, stretching out both arms to form a barrier between his friends and... Whatever was left of the person before them.

Classic's breath hitched. No. It couldn't be... "Blaster?"

The Lost Soul's shoulders twitched, as if it was trying to shake off the name.

"Yes," Swaps said grimly, his face tense as stone. He stepped backwards, pushing the three of them farther away. "That was Blaster."

This time, the remnant convulsed and let out a clear scream. "[LEAVE! ME! ALONE!]" It lurched forward, slinging the far arm forward and twisting the hand into a claw.

Suddenly, the smoke began charging with golden magic.

All three sets of eyes looked up at once, stopping on an enormous, glitch-coated Gaster Blaster, its fanged maw open and already condensing magic into a ball of destructive luminescence.

Before either of the others could react, Swaps turned and half-shoved, half-threw Classic and Fell out of the way. He drew the shield and a few vials from the bandolier, smashed the vials over the shield's steel plate, and raised it over his head, just before the GB fired. The acrid scent of burning wood filled the air.

When the GB finally ran out of energy, steam rose out of the muddy earth, leaving dry, cracked dirt behind. As Swaps lowered the ash-dusted shield, he pulled his previously planted boots out of the stone ground.

The Lost Soul was still for a moment, the hand held out in front of it, like an accusatory point. Then, its arm dropped to its side, putting the Lost Soul off balance again. It stepped forward, one foot sinking into mud at a time, until it stood at the edge of the solid rock created by the blast.

The knight stared at the space where the creature's eyes used to be. It almost felt like the Lost Soul was taunting him.

He'd already had enough people looking down on him for one day.

He adjusted the shield to rest by his elbow, then pulled both swords from their sheaths. Like a bolt of lightning, he ran directly at the Lost Soul.

The enemy summoned a wall of bones between them and an array of GBs behind it. Swaps turned slightly, swinging the shield in front of him before kicking both feet off the ground. He sailed directly into the wall, but the speed and weight broke through; next, the GBs fired against the shield, but the effects of the potion rendered them useless.

The shield began to fall. Swaps dug the toe of one boot into a large crack in the dirt. He swung the shielded arm behind him, adding momentum. As he spun precariously out of balance, he held out the free sword - which was now close enough to the Lost Soul that it was forced to back up.

He spun three times, pushing the enemy back two meters, before leaning left, catching himself with the other foot and whirling behind the Lost Soul. This time, he made just one powerful slash at the being - but the section of bone he'd sliced through dematerialized as it passed.

Surprised, Swaps was carried along by the blade's weight. He fell to the ground, one of the swords flying out of his hand and into the smoke.

That... Hurt. A lot. It took him a moment to realize that the pain was from his collarbone - the shield's metal band had caught it in the fall, leaving a deep crack.

But he didn't have time to heal it at the moment - if he didn't get up, he was literally going to be toast.

He could already hear another GB shot charging. Where was it coming from?... Directly above again. He rolled onto his back and braced the shield on his knees.

The shot fired, burning up another few drops of the potion. Just a few moments left, and he'd have to reload.

... Wait. How many vials did he have left?

The right side of the bandolier was completely empty at this point. He'd had to use a few on the way here to fight off the columns and fix the shield. And there were fifteen vials in each side, so... Nine left.

The GB's shot flickered out, allowing Swaps a chance to get up. He gave up worrying about the potion for now and tried to push himself off the ground.

... Oh, no. He was halfway buried in the dried mud, with no room to move his arms or legs.

Another shot fired. This time, he could almost hear the protective potion evaporating off of the wood. If this kept going, it'd burn in less than minute...

Two smaller GBs appeared, flanking the largest. They immediately set off a pair of short bursts, aimed at the metal bands.

The battered wood let out a tired creak, ready to give out at any second.

He could almost hear the bolts popping out of place, the wood cracking, the potion smoldering. This was it, this was...!

After a moment of apprehension, he realized the attack had stopped.

Before he had time to process what had happened, Fell appeared at his side. He lifted the shield off of Swaps, then put a hand on the ground and sent a wave of magic through it. The rock shook and burst open, the gaps filled with illusions of plants and rough water. Fell grabbed the knight's hand and pulled him out.

Meanwhile, Classic was busy distracting the Lost Soul. At first, he thought that setting up a cage of blue attacks would slow it down; but, of course, it just phased through them without even pausing. And now, it was close enough to attack with a direct blow.

The creature raised its weighted hand above its head, summoning an array of bones.

Classic stumbled backwards. If he couldn't teleport, he couldn't dodge, and then...

Just as the weapons came down, there was a flash of blue magic, and suddenly Swaps was standing in the way, shield braced.

As soon as the attack was over, he yanked his arm out of the holster and buried the tip of his sword in the firm dirt. Then, he wrapped both hands around the hilt, kicking the shield directly at the Lost Soul.

Obviously, it couldn't damage the opponent, but it did its job as a distraction just fine.

Behind the Lost Soul, Fell was ready to catch the shield and repair it. While the others kept the opponent focused, he poured the two vials of potion Swaps had given him on the center plate. He was doing this correctly, right? There were still a few tiny drops in the vials, but the shield was already patching up, somehow, so... Oh, screw it, there was no time to waste. He just did as he was instructed and let the potion do the work, smoothing the splintered panels and bending the metal bands back into place.

Then he picked up the shield and stuffed the vials in his pocket. He ran at the Lost Soul from behind, using the shield as a battering ram.

This time, he'd caught it off guard. Swaps and Classic moved back several feet as the creature dropped to the ground, smacking its skull against the steel band on the way down.

For a few seconds, everything was silent.

Then, Fell, standing on the other side of the unconscious Lost Soul, spoke. "... O-okay, so, uh... Wow. I, heh, h-had no idea if that was going to work, but... Yeah." The others weren't sure exactly what gesture he was trying to convey, but it looked something like an intensely nervous cheerleader-dance-slash-air-punch. "Go team."

Well, whatever it was, it dissolved a bit of the tension, and earned a laugh from Swaps. Classic just rolled his eyes, but not at Fell's celebratory... Dance thing, or whatever it was.

Swaps put a hand over his mouth, trying to keep quiet. "Alright, I admit it. That was pretty cool."

"It's not over yet, though," Classic said, looking at the creature stuck under the shield. "What're we supposed to do with him? Can't just go back like this..."

"What?... Oh, of course we're not going back now. That's... Not one of the options." Swaps pulled out one more vial of the potion, applying it to the crack into his collarbone while he spoke. Thanks to the rush of the battle, he couldn't feel much from the wound, but he still wasn't about to let it go untreated. "I mean, you two could probably get away with leaving, but... Again, it's complicated. I don't have time to explain... Now. I, um... What I mean to say is, I don't have time to explain, right now, at the moment. Anomaly stuff. Later."

"Huh?... Swaps, please." Fell walked over to stand by the others. "I... Whatever's going on, it'd be a lot easier if you tell us how to help."

Before Swaps had time to respond, Classic interrupted. "Yeah, sure. He's definitely gonna stop keeping secrets just because we asked him to."

"Not the time, Classic," Fell sighed.

"... No, he's right. I don't agree with his tone..." - Swaps sent Classic a warning look - "but if you still want to know after this whole this is wrapped up, ask me then. For now, it's too complicated to explain all at once - and besides, I have to go take care of this. I have a plan. When the Lost Soul wakes up, it will probably try to retreat, and will teleport directly to its source. I'll hold on so it'll take me with it. Then, you two won't have to go any further; I'll destroy the anomaly, and you can go back to the hub. I'm sure that once the Lost Soul has been given time to disconnect from its control, you'll be able to figure something out in regards to fixing it."

Fell's face quickly changed from confusion to fear. "What? You have to... No. No, we just barely found you! I- er, we were worried sick! There's absolutely zero chance in hell we're splitting up again. Not after... Just, no."

For a moment, Swaps didn't respond. He knew that he should've just ignored it, but... Classic and Fell weren't supposed to be here. If he hadn't left that note, maybe they wouldn't have dragged themselves into this mess. Maybe he could've just taken care of it on his own and not bothered them, like all those other times...

But now they were here, in the Anomaly, and they wanted information - information that wasn't his to give... But... If it was all going to start over, anyway, it could be alright...

Wait, no. It wasn't his job to think like this. He had a mission to complete, whether they liked it or not. Yes, maybe they'd let him be if he told them he was doing it for their sake - but that didn't matter right now.

He glanced down at the radio attached to Fell's wrist, noting the absence of lights. He already knew why they were gone, but decided it would be best to let them figure it out in their own. Fell didn't need any more pressure right now.

... It certainly wouldn't hurt to point it out, though, would it? "... By the way... I know you said you broke your radio, Classic, but I don't think Fell's has been damaged. So, um... There were lights on it before. What did they mean?"

"Are you trying to change the subject? I'm not kidding. I can't just let-... Huh?" Fell lifted his arm to inspect the radio. "... Uh... Okay, we still need to talk about all this, but... Well, anyway, I thought the lights were supposed to show that the others' were still up and running, but..."

"Let me see." Classic shouldered past Swaps to get a better look. "... Huh."

Now, Fell just looked more confused. "'Huh', what?"

"It's... I don't know. It's just that the lights should definitely be on, but clearly, they're not. I... Hey, mind trying to call Sci? He might know what's up."

Fell nodded. He brought the radio's microphone to his face. "Hello, this is, um... Me. I don't know if there're code names yet - knowing you, Sci, there probably are..."

Classic gave him a frustrated look and tapped his wrist, telling him to hurry up.

"... So anyway, Fell here. Gotta call in some information. The lights on my radio shut off - y'know, the multicolored ones on the side. Sci, is that supposed to happen? Over."

... They waited for a response, but the radio just hissed static.

Swaps tapped on Classic's shoulder, looking down at the Lost Soul. The leader followed his gaze, resting on the creature's hand - and a shredded mess of wires tangled between the wrist bones.

"It destroyed its own radio," Swaps said. "I'm absolutely certain that this was something it did on its own. I... Don't have all the answers yet, but it probably wanted to make sure nobody could track the signal."

"But... There's nobody else who'd be tracking it. I mean, Sci's got the codes, but he's... Still here." Classic knelt down and checked the damage, but there was very little left to check.

Swaps went silent for a moment. "... You are right, in a way." He crouched next to Classic and the still-unconscious Lost Soul, picking up the arm with the wires. "Hmm. Maybe this can be useful, after all..."

Fell looked at them like they'd both grown extra heads. "You guys do realize you're talking about Blaster, right? Not some random John Doe Corrupted? I know he's had some pretty big changes, but he's still him... Even with that thing." He looked uncomfortably at the Lost Soul's enlarged right hand.

Classic shrugged. "Yes, but-"

"No. This isn't Blaster. It's just an empty shell that doesn't want to be refilled," Swaps interrupted. "And don't think I'm forgetting what the Fallen Children can do for these things - the problem is, we can't. He... He's gone. It has his powers and his form, but unless we can find a Fallen Child... We can't do anything."

"But... B-but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try. There's still a chance! We only have to make sure he doesn't get hurt while we're finding a way out of here."

Swaps sighed and readjusted his bandolier. "How many times do I have to say it? You don't understand what you're up against."

"Yeah, I know." He stepped towards Swaps, cutting in between the knight and Classic. "But that's never stopped us before, right? This whole team is-"

"No!" Swaps grabbed Fell's shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. "I know it might seem like every mission's a gamble to you, but I promise, it's not nearly as risky as you think. Let me take care of this. Please."

... Fell shut his eyes, trying to block out the image of those shining blue eyes. He couldn't let it get to him.

But... Still, it stung to think that he couldn't help. Whatever was out there, it scared Swaps. It scared the bravest, most unshakable person he knew, so badly that Fell wasn't allowed to try to protect him. He'd only just found him, and now...

Before he could finish the thought, it was interrupted by the sound of clattering wood.

All three Sanses looked down at the Lost Soul. It took a moment for them to realize it was waking up. The weighted hand twitched, then stretched, reaching towards the shield on its back.

Classic and Fell both took a few steps backwards, eyes lit with magic for round two of the fight.

Swaps, though, moved towards the creature. "I... I guess that's my cue, then."

Fell's Soul filled with panic. No. No, he wasn't leaving yet. He couldn't do this again!

The desperate ideas in his head collected in a matter of seconds, but Classic had already deciphered what Fell was thinking. He knew what he was doing was reckless, but... Oh, well. Classic wasn't about to leave this anomaly unsolved, either.

Just as Swaps picked up the shield and reached down for the Lost Soul's arm, both of the others grabbed on, too, Fell attaching himself to Swaps' shoulders and Classic taking the creature's other arm. The knight had no time to shake them off before the whole group was already on their way.


	11. Eye of the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. Sorry I've been so slow updating; the last month has been incredibly hectic at home. I might not be able to get back to the old schedule for a while, but I'll keep working, even if it is slower, so don't worry about this ending before it really begins...

The four skeletons tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap after the emergency teleport.

Upon realizing that it had carried some unwanted passengers, the half-conscious Lost Soul dematerialized and reformed a meter away from them. It tried to get up and run, but before it could, something hit it in the back of the head.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Swaps rose to his feet, catching the shield as the creature fell. Thank the stars for versatile battle gear.

Then, he got up and started in the direction the Lost Soul had tried to escape to.

Before he could make much distance, though, a familiar, gravely voice called him back. "W-wait, where're you going?"

... Admittedly, it still hurt, but he knew he had to ignore Fell. The only way the others were going to make it out of here was if they lost sight of him and turned back.

Swaps walked faster, well aware of the two still trying to catch up.

Soon enough, though, both of them were at his sides, berating him with questions between shallow breaths.

"L-look, we're h-here, whether you-... C-can you stop running for one minute? We need to talk!"

"I'm getting real fed up with being left in the dark. Tell us what's going on here."

"Swaps, whatever y-you think you need to protect us from, it'll be much easier to defeat if we're here. L-listen, please-"

"Explain right now, kid. Don't act like you're 'the chosen one' or something."

"Y-you can't... C-can't... P-please, don't l-leave me again..."

"Keeping secrets doesn't make you a hero!"

That was it. He couldn't put up with it anymore.

Swaps stopped, turning on his heel to face them. "Enough!"

... Finally, silence. Classic and Fell were both too surprised to react. Was... Was Swaps crying?

He took a long, shaky breath, hands clenched. He knew this wasn't part of the plan; he was being emotional and weak. He was supposed to listen to his brain, not his Soul. But he didn't care. Everything had already fallen apart, anyway.

"... Do either of you have any idea what you've dragged yourselves into? What are you trying to accomplish? It's useless, anyway. Everything's useless." He could hear his voice cracking now. His eye sockets burned as drops of excess magic threatened to fall. Or were they tears? "I know I'm going to fail. I've tried to win, to get help, so many times... And no matter what, it's the same thing. Either I fail, and you don't have to know, or... You fail with me. It's... It's like being stuck in the Loop all over again..." His eye sockets were stinging now. He covered them with his hands, scratching at his face. "Nothing I do can save anyone! I'm... W-we're going to die here, and it'll start again, but you won't know it, and I'll just be stuck waiting for it to come back, and-... A-and..."

He was out of words, a sharp sob forcing its way out of his chest. It hurt to breathe, but he couldn't stop gasping for air, then shuddering as it abandoned his lungs, leaving him dizzy and in pain. This couldn't be happening again. He'd tried to deny it; maybe the Anomaly would just stop reappearing, or he could find another way to beat it that he hadn't tried before. But it was too familiar. How many years had he spent trapped in the same day, back before the Portals had opened and the timelines Disconnected? How many years had he wasted trying to tell himself it was all just a bad dream, and that nobody else had to deal with those exact same nightmares? And now that he'd actually started to think there might really be something out here for him, why did he have to get locked into another one of these things?!

It wasn't fair. It was supposed to be over.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't have to look to know whose it was, helping him balance, unafraid to support him.

Fell took Swaps' hands, gently pulling them away from his cheekbones. "Hey. It's okay. I'm here. I... I-I don't know what to say about-"

"But that's just it! You don't know! You shouldn't have to know!" Swaps' face was covered in tears and shallow scratches, tightened into an unfamiliar frown. "This is my duty, and... If I didn't screw up and give you that letter...! Y-you wouldn't be stuck here!"

"Swaps, listen to me. Deep breaths. We'll find a way out of this... We're not going to die."

"B-but... There's no way to win... I'm s-so tired... I don't want to lose you again... I don't want to lose anyone! I can't... Can't do it any more..."

"... I know."

It was quiet for a moment, the only sound that of Swaps' staggered breathing. Hesitantly, Fell stepped closer, reaching up and wrapping his arms around the other's shoulders. "I won't let you give up. We'll find a way to win. I promise, we'll get you out of here, one way or another. And if I can't do that on my own, I'll at least stay with you."

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, but was actually only about half a minute, neither of them ready to let go. In all honesty, Fell was terrified. This news changed everything... And if they failed this fight, he wouldn't remember next time... Was it possible there just wasn't a solution?

Finally, they were forced to move on when Classic spoke up. Neither of them had noticed, nor cared about his discomfort, so he'd just stayed quiet. "... Uh... Still a little confused, but I think I get the basics... So, what you're saying is that this Anomaly is a Loop?"

Swaps nodded, reluctant to untangle himself from Fell. Still, he let go, then turned to Classic. "... Yes, it is. I'm still not sure why it's this powerful, but... I've never been able to defeat it. Never even gotten close enough to the center to see the source. And... I'm not the only one."

At first, Classic was confused. What did he mean by that?... Were there other people conscious of this Loop?

Then, Swaps pointed to the vials of potion still in the bandolier. "... These aren't mine. They were given to me so I could attack the Anomaly's source directly, while the others handled it remotely. I don't know much about this potion, or how it works, but it's supposed to weaken glitches. And this..." - He pointed to the pocket in the center - "... Is new equipment. I... Have never had to use it before. I was just told to-"

"Wait, wait, wait! Slow down. Who're 'the others'?"

Swaps looked at his feet. "... If we survive, I'll show you. But until then, I'm not allowed to say."

Classic studied his face, searching for any subtle shift that might give it away. While he was watching, though, he saw an extra light flicker in Swaps' left eye.

"... What are you doing?" Swaps asked.

"Just stay still for a second. I think... I think I just saw something."

"In my eye?"

"Yes, in your eye. Shh, I'm trying to focus."

"... Okay."

It happened again seconds later. A horizontal line appeared, bigger than the last mark, then sputtered out again. As Classic kept watching, the mark appeared a third time. Now, it was large enough to read.

Both of the others recognized that look immediately. Something was wrong.

Fell stepped in between them. "What? What's wrong?" He looked at the eye, but the mark was gone for the moment.

Classic stepped backwards, still staring at Swaps. "... This won't work. He won't make it. We have to run."

Now, Swaps was starting to get worried. Just a few moments ago, Classic had been stubborn enough about following him that he'd intercepted a teleport. What could've changed that so quickly?

Finally, Classic worked up the nerve to say it out loud. "It's... It's a glitch. He's becoming an Error."

Swaps reached up to his face, searching for the scar. When it appeared again, it nearly lanced right through his hand. Oh, god, Classic was right.

Suddenly, a burst of pain shot through his Soul. His vision blurred as he nearly collapsed.

No. Not now, not again...

Fell rushed to his side, holding him steady. He lifted Swaps' arm over his shoulder, supporting almost half of his weight.

He waved for Classic to take the other side. "What're you standing there for?! Help me out here!"

"Are you Corrupted, too, or do you have a death wish?" Classic backed away, well aware of the eye glitches growing.

"Are you... Are you fucking kidding me, C? We have to beat the Anomaly and get him to Sci's lab before it takes over! C'mon, I can't carry him on my own!"

Before Classic could respond, Swaps muttered, "Won't work. It's... Not that simple. Can't be fixed with recoding."

"What... How do we fix it, then?" Fell looked up at him, desperate for a solution. "Is it the Loop doing this? The Anomaly?"

Swaps stayed quiet for a moment. He remembered this part. Something always had to go wrong, didn't it?

Then, he put his hand over the pocket in the middle of the bandolier.

"... Fell, I need you to let go now."

"... What?" His eyes were filled with horror. "No. I won't let this happen! We're going to win, remember?"

Swaps stepped away from him, trying not to think about how much his skull hurt. He could barely stand now, but he had a job to do. One last task, if everything else failed.

He turned away and began walking again, knees shaking like they were made of paper.

Fell tried to stop him again, reaching out to grab his arm - but Swaps shot him a warning look.

Fell couldn't help but stare at the glitches, now covering half of the other's face in twitching, splintered bone. Didn't it hurt? Or maybe it was just numb?... No, he had to focus...

"Swaps, I don't care if this is risky - I won't just watch you leave again."

Swaps just stared blankly for a few seconds. He wanted so badly to give in and hope blindly, but... It had been so long since this made any sense. Once he'd given up thinking it through, he also gave up looking for a solution. He'd tried everything. Every battle tactic he could think of had been exhausted, and it didn't matter how many people he dragged in with him; the result was always the same. Fight, die, restart, fight, die, restart, fight, die, restart...

... So why did he feel like blind hope was still going to pay off?

Before he could think about it any further, a deafening boom flooded through the air, a wave of sound and smoke knocking them off their feet.

Blue couldn't tell which way the wind was pulling him, but it was all he could do to dig his sword into the ground and hold on. If anyone was trying to talk to him, he wouldn't have heard it. Noise was torn away in the air before it could reach him.

It died down after a moment, allowing him to open his eyes. As his vision refocused, he could see the others were still with him. He wasn't sure whether he should be happy or upset about that. They were covered in mud and grass, but otherwise, they seemed fine...

Then he noticed the smoke - or rather, lack thereof. It was... Gone. He could see the rest of the Anomaly's range perfectly clear. By now, though, he wasn't surprised to find that the ground was dived and split into fractured pieces, each one showing slight differences from those around it - marshes faded into hills, into sand, into dirt paths, into jagged rocks. Faint traces of code seeped through the cracks, mixed letters and numbers trailing up into nothing.

This was it. The final stage was coming next. One way or another, his role was about to end.

He pushed himself back onto his feet, using the sword for support every few steps. Somewhere off to his right, Classic was talking, his voice edged with panic and confusion, but Swaps couldn't hear the words well enough to warrant a response.

"What the hell is going on?!" The former leader whirled around, taking in the new sight of what he thought was the Antivoid splitting at the seams. "This- no, no, this doesn't make sense!"

He took a step backwards and nearly got his foot stuck in a crack, but it sealed up as he came closer. He looked at it for a moment, bewildered, before taking a few more steps. Again, the ground mended itself under his feet, while the space he had left behind fell apart.

Fell was a bit puzzled by it, too, but he didn't have thought to spare on it. He just needed to know that it worked. The more important thing was, if Swaps was so stubborn about... Getting to the end, he wouldn't be going alone. Fell ran up to the knight and lifted him onto his shoulder.

"W-what are you doing? I told you, you can't stop this!" The glitches on his face sparked again, inching over his neck and part of the second eye. He let out a hiss of pain.

Fell's expression of certainty faltered, but he sent a pulse of healing magic and kept walking. "I know. So I'm not going to try. Still not going to let you do this alone, though."

The pulse dulled the pain a little bit, but it still hurt to open his eyes, so he just kept them closed. "... But don't you want to get out of this?"

"Nope. We're already stuck here. May as well make it easier for you."

"So... You've accepted that you're going to die? And you're not upset?"

"Done it before, haven't I? And it's not like it'll be permanent. That's the good thing about Loops. I'll be back no matter what happens now."

Swaps wanted to protest, but... He couldn't think of anything.

Classic sighed and followed them. "Why can't I have normal teammates?"

A few seconds later, the smoke reappeared, but this time, it rushed through the cracks in the ground and into a single funnel, dead ahead. The black cloud twisted into hazy forms, like it was trying to take a solid shape.

Classic asked, "Is that it?"

Swaps nodded.

None of them noticed the bursts of static coming out of the bandolier's pocket.

 


	12. Broken Cycle

The whirlwind ahead twisted and popped, tearing up the cracked earth beneath like claws through fabric. Waves of dirt and vegetation seemed to ebb along its spiral path, fading into mere ripples by the time they reached the remaining members of the team. The vibrantly glowing lines of code far below brightened as the pulse ran past it, then dimmed again with its retreat. The smoke danced and spun with the wind, a crackling, silver light peeking out from just beyond its bindings.

A pulse of deja-vu ran through Swaps' Soul. As always, it was worse than he remembered.

Fell pushed him forward, keeping a tight hold on the other to make sure he didn't fall. "Hang in there. It's gonna be okay-"

"We're literally about to die. How is that okay? I mean, it's normal for me, but-..." He stopped short as the glitches shook, overtaking another few inches of his skull.

"... Hey, don't get all edgy and self-loathing on me. That's my job." He nudged Swaps' shoulder and laughed, trying to make the situation feel a little lighter.

After a moment, Swaps smiled halfheartedly and continued walking. This wasn't the time for jokes... Why did Fell always act like this? He hated jokes, didn't he?... That was one mystery Swaps didn't have time to solve.

Classic was hanging back a bit, but when he heard the conversation, he rolled his eyes and pushed them both forward. "Look, I know you two have a lot to talk about, but save it for the loop that works. You're wasting time!"

Fell huffed indignantly, but didn't talk back.

It wasn't long before they were close enough to the twister to feel its pull trying to lift them off of the ground. Fell dug his sneakers into the mud. At this point, he gave up on carrying Swaps on his shoulders and instead looped his arms around the other's waist.

"So what now?" Classic shouted over the wind.

Swaps squinted at the twister. Timing was key here... Or at least that's what he'd been told. "The anomaly's core is supposed to be in the middle of the wind circuit. When I tell you to, jump. The wind will carry us in, and then we'll be able to reach it."

Fell's eyes went wide. "Oh, hell no! I'm not going in that thing!"

"Then let go of me."

"... Never mind."

Classic opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was drowned out as a wave shook the ground and the twister started turning back towards them.

As soon as the wind picked up, Swaps jumped. "Now!"

Fell followed immediately, not wasting a second of precious time. Classic still wasn't sure about any of it, but he didn't get much of a choice; Fell caught his hand and pulled him up with them.

The next few seconds were a blur of motion and magic. First, a feeling of weightlessness. Second, a snap of pain as the cartilage between their bones stretched to accommodate for the shift. Third, a sickening, chaotic coldness as they moved through the smoke's outside layer-...

Fell hadn't been aware of closing his eyes, but when he opened them, he was surrounded by smoke. Everything was still. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, but quickly found that there wasn't any air to breathe. It took him a moment of franticly grabbing at his neck to remember he was a skeleton and didn't necessarily need to.

Okay. That made him feel a little more secure... And seeing as he could open his eyes and wasn't currently being torn apart bone-by-bone, he guessed that this giant funnel he was stuck in wasn't a real tornado - and after a moment, a sense of gravity returned. Sure, it probably meant he was going to fall to a fast, brutal death if he didn't find a way to start moving up, but at least he knew which up was. The fact the wind was stable enough to not jostle him around like a rattle also seemed pretty lucky to him. 

So he wasn't falling apart, or being shaken apart, or anything else... Apart. Fell one, giant smoke twister zero. He was off to a pretty good start...

Then he looked down and immediately wished he hadn't.

Now that the smoke wasn't in the way, he could see the Anomaly's shining silver core perfectly clear - as well as the arcs of blood-red magic holding it aloft. Several yards below it, a strikingly familiar form was nestled in a circlet of bleached white code, their Soul thrumming with Corrupt Determination. They themself didn't seem to notice nor care about his presence, but the crimson light painted over their features made him freeze. It was as if they were watching him from everywhere at once, just like old times.

This Anomaly hadn't been born of an Error, or a Corrupted, or anything he knew how to beat.

It was the will of a Fallen Child.

This wasn't okay. Not the slightest bit okay. How did this even work?! Glitched-out monsters were bad enough, but a human with this much power and their mind intact... How was he supposed to fix that?!

Wait. Swaps probably knew how. He had training, right? And he'd already said he'd never gotten this far. So he had to know something!

That was when Fell noticed that the weight on his shoulders was gone. He ripped his gaze away from the Anomaly's source and searched frantically for Swaps, an icy fear gripping his Soul. He caught sight of the Knight hanging a few yards above him... Unconscious.

No. No, no, NO, he was going to die, Swaps was going to die again, he had no idea if Classic had made it to the center but if he did he was going to die too and the others were probably Lost Souls by now and oh god how was he supposed to keep his promise-

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a smack to the back of his skull. He whipped around to see... A slipper?

Classic suddenly came flying out of the shadows. He slammed into Fell and sent them both spinning higher into the funnel.

"What are you doing?!" Fell shouted, clinging to Classic's jacket for dear life.

"I don't know, but it's moving me away from the death child down there, so I'm gonna keep doing it!"

"That's because you're spinning out of control, you numbskull!"

"Well, I'm a living numbskull, and that's what's importa- AAAAAAAAA-" He flailed uselessly against the wind before ramming skull-first into Swaps.

Fell reached for the Knight, but they were moving too fast. The wind began to pull all three of them back into the downward spiral. The extra force pushed Fell backwards into the wall and out of sight.

Before Swaps could be swallowed by the smoke again, his eyes cracked open. The eyelights were gone, replaced by fiery static filling the socket, but he didn't seem frightened by the inevitable blindness. "... Classic?"

Classic tried to move in the opposite direction from the wall and towards Swaps. "Yeah, I'm right here... Er, wait, you can't see. I'm a few feet up and to your left."

Swaps turned his head in that direction and nodded. "You're oddly calm about this. I mean, I can't really be surprised at this point, but still... Are you even trying to get out of here?"

"... I would be, but Fell'd kill me if I let you get hurt, anyway."

"I see. That definitely sounds like something he'd say he'd do..." Swaps sighed. "I don't know why I'm telling you this now, since there's really no point, but you do realize he's not dangerous, right? He won't actually kill you."

Classic shook his head. "Yeah, right. He's from Underfell. Of course he will. That's just how he's made to be." Before Swaps could debate, he pushed him towards the outside of the funnel. That same movement drifted him in the direction of the wall, too. "But I don't particularly feel like dying today, so we're just gonna get out of this thing and run-"

"No." He kicked away from the wall and caught Classic's arm before he could disappear.

"I can't believe I have to say this... Swaps, I don't like being killed by DT-stoned humans or other versions of myself! This shouldn't be a difficult concept to grasp!"

Swaps just glared at him. "For the last time, I can't leave. It's my duty to either destroy the Anomaly or die fighting it. I'll be fine - it'll just reload, and... I'll try again."

"You're not going to die, and you can't possibly beat this thing. If you'd just stop being so stubborn, you could just escape and let whoever the big bad secret leader you're trying so hard to help get the job done themself! It'll be fine! You can go back home and leave it to-"

"What about the others?"

... Classic went quiet for a moment. "I don't understand. What about them?"

"Classic, did you ever stop to think about what happened to Sci and Outs? They won't be 'fine'. Blaster won't be fine. It's too late to turn back." He looked away. The glitches covered almost his entire skull now, as well as most of his chest and shoulders. "They're Lost, Classic, and we can't get them back anymore. Half of the team is facing a fate worse than death, and you insist it's fine. Not that you care; you think that just because we used to have your name, - until our identities were taken away, just because there are too many of 'us' - we aren't people. You think we're all empty copies of yourself that don't work right! And when one of us doesn't fit what you expected, you don't even give us a chance to prove we're still valid. You think I'm an innocent, naïve little kid who couldn't possible know what it's like to hurt, when I've been to hell and back trying to protect you and still have nothing to show for it. You think Fell's a homicidal backstabber, but he's been trying to make up for every mistake he's ever made just so that he can feel like he's not a burden to everyone because of what the worst versions of his universe's residents have done! You think Outs is just a glittery version of yourself with jokes to match. You think Sci is the same lazy, careless numbskull you were when the first Royal Scientist died to your mistake. You don't even care to think about what Blaster is! And when we get hurt, you don't care! Do you even know how this anomaly works? Did you think about why I'm not upset about always ending like this?"

Despite the fact he couldn't see, Swaps seemed to be staring directly into Classic's eyes, his gaze burning like fire.

"It's tearing everything apart and consuming the pieces, Classic. The Antivoid was right in the perfect spot to reach multiple worlds at once, and now even that's gone - it was absorbed by this thing. There is no way out, because there is no out! Those other worlds and people and stories and lives that had no idea this was happening right outside their doorstep- they're all dust and code now! I hope you're happy; the world isn't full of copies stealing your name! But what about your timeline? It's a split-off, too, no matter how much better than us you think you are. We don't have anywhere to run, Classic, and neither do you! You self-centered bonehead-! I! Can't! Leave!"

Swaps' ribs shook with pain and rage, new glitches slowly melting up from his feet. The clusters on his skull finally covered his eyes, leaving just his mouth in sight, the teeth gritting against themselves so hard his jaw trembled.

Classic was stunned silent. What was he supposed to say to refute that?... He opened his mouth to shoot back a response, but the words didn't come.

... After a moment of tense quiet, he looked down. The base of the twister hadn't gotten much closer. The wind was stronger up here; they weren't going to fall any time soon... Which meant he was stuck here, thinking about what Swaps had just told him.

Of course he cared about the others. Why wouldn't he? They were his team. He knew them. And sure, none of them were really fit to be the leader, but that was fine, because that was his job... Wasn't it?... It had to be. He was the one holding them all together. The others were all so... Chaotic, and unpredictable, and... He couldn't trust them to make the right choices, if they were all-...

... He shook his head. No, Swaps probably was just ranting to get some frustration out of his system. Classic was the leader. He had to be right.

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say so, but before he could, Swaps interrupted, his voice cracking. "Stop. You don't get to justify it. This whole disaster is about to end, anyway. Whether you get out of here or not, you're going to remember this. I'm done letting you belittle everyone who doesn't fit into your narrow mindset."

He glanced down at the Anomaly's core and the Fallen Child below it. An idea popped into his mind. A reckless idea, but definitely one worth the inevitable failure.

"... I'm done. You want to be the center off attention so badly? Fine, but leave me out of it." Swaps fumbled with the satchel on the front of his bandolier, unbuckling the hooks and buttons. He lifted a steel box out of it, then pulled three of the last vials from their slots along the strap. "Here, just take these. I'm not going to need the vials, anyway. Say hi to Fell for me, 'kay? And make sure to explain that it's not his fault I'm not going back home with him. It's  _yours._ "

Swaps shoved them into Classic's crossed arms and pushed him into the wall.

He plummeted through the same dizzying sensation of cold air running through his bones, being stretched limb-from-limb, and finally weightlessness before he landed with a harsh thud in a mudbank.

... For a moment, he couldn't move. A sharp, stinging numbness dug into the side of his skull; his body seemed heavier than usual; his vision was blurred and tinted blue.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Two light shapes, and a darker one below them. 

It only took him a moment to recognize the pixelated masks of the Lost Souls.

He blinked, trying to get the mud out of his eyes. That was when he felt the crack in his skull.

A wave of pain flooded his senses. Swaps had told him this wasn't the Antivoid... Did that mean he could die, if the crack was enough to reach his HP?...

But he couldn't worry about that right now. He couldn't see what was going on between Fell and the Lost Souls, but judging from the panicked noises of fear, it couldn't be good. Classic tried to stand, but the mud was too soft. His hands and knees sunk deeper when he moved...

... The vials. He wasn't holding them. Did he drop them? A sudden possessive instinct pushed the pain to the back of his mind. If he'd dropped them in the mud... He had to find them before they sunk too far.

He glanced around, looking for the vials. A glint caught his eye, sharper and more defined than everything around it. He picked up the vial and kept searching. He had three before he landed. Four, and the box. Where was the box? He  _had_ to find it.

Another flicker called his attention, then faded as the two vials were submerged in mud. He managed to dig one of them out, but the other was forgotten when a dim flash of golden light came from... Behind him. He didn't question how he was able to sense it. He whipped his head around and snatched the box just before it melted out of sight.

He let out a deep breath he hadn't known he was holding. The box and the vials were safe. Everything was fine, as long as-

Wait. He was forgetting something. Something important. What was it, again?...

He didn't have to guess for long. Hearing and feeling came back into focus, reminding him of the crack, and the Lost Souls attacking Fell.

Classic opened one of the vials and poured it over the crack, trying to ignore the sounds of the fight. Hopefully, this would help him think clearer. Then he could go help...

... If he wanted to. It wasn't his responsibility... Fell was used to this, right? He could fight back. He would be fine... And besides, he was dispensable. It didn't matter if-

Classic blinked in confusion. Where did that come from?

... No. He didn't have time to think about it. His teammate was in danger. He stuffed the box and the last vial in his pocket, then tried to get out of the mud again.

This time, he managed to crawl out. It didn't take long for him to get back to his feet. The wound mended itself, his vision returning to clarity as the potion worked.

As he came closer to the Lost Souls, he recognized them. Unlike Fell, he wasn't surprised to see Outs and Sci. Honestly, he was just glad they hadn't shown up sooner.

Fell tried to scramble away from them, but before he could, glitched bones erupted from the ground behind him. He stopped just in time - and quickly realized he was backed into a corner. A high-pitched buzz filled the air as a prototype Gaster Blaster materialized behind him.

He raised a wall of rib bones to shield himself, but without the potion, he knew it wasn't enough. He ducked and curled into a ball, bracing for the flame...

... But nothing happened. The buzz died down without firing.

He cautiously opened his eyes, lifting his arms away from his head. Was it a trick? Did the Lost Souls have something worse planned?...

Suddenly, a bone interrupted the shower of stars next to him. Classic's hand shot through the opening and grabbed Fell's hood, pulling him out of the trap.

"C'mon, run!" Classic helped him steady his feet, but didn't wait for a response. He started dragging Fell back towards the twister.

The other skeleton stumbled a few times, but then managed to keep up. "Wait, w-what's going on? Why didn't they-"

"They didn't shoot because I stopped them, but we only have one more vial left, and I wasn't gonna waste it on that. The cage won't last. Once they see us, they'll follow, and we'll either die or run out of ammo." He nodded towards the twister. "That's the best idea I have to get them off our track. So if you want to live, hurry up and  _run!_ "

Fell glanced back at the Lost Souls. Sure enough, they were busy pulling apart a huge cluster of bones that was stacked on top of them and the trap.

He turned to face Classic again. "And what about Swaps?"

"Don't worry about that, right now we just have to-"

"Classic,  _where is he?_ "

Classic sighed. "He's still in there."

"... You... You _left_ him?" Fell stopped in his tracks.

"He wouldn't let me help. Don't jump to conclusions. I did what I could, but he's stubborn. You can get as mad as you want later, but right now, I'm not gonna waste time arguing about it." Classic grabbed Fell's arm and pulled him forward. "They're gonna see us if you stay here. Just follow me."

"I promised I'd get him out of here."

"And you tried your best, but sometimes it just doesn't work out, okay? Stop being so melodramatic-"

"I don't care! He doesn't deserve to... T-to become one of those things! If h-he turns into a full Error, I-... N-no, I can't let that happen!"

Classic gave him a frustrated look. "Look, I get that you're a drama king and all, but this is ridiculous. Use your head. When I saw him, he was almost gone, anyway. He even told you flat-out that there's nothing we can do. Why are you acting like this? It's not important. You should be more worried-"

" _Of course he's important!_ " Fell's eye lit up red. "He's the _only_ important thing here! Yeah, sure, I guess it d-doesn't matter that the one person left who still c-cares if I-I live or die or if I would b-be better off dead  _is being t-tortured as we speak!_ It was completely fair f-for  _him_ to be the one stuck in a goddamn l-loop! Are you seriously jaded enough n-not to care?! I-I won't give up on him! He d-didn't give up on me- I w-won't let him be alone like t-this!"

Classic opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by a sudden bone attack whistling past his head.

He looked up at the Lost Souls rapidly approaching. "Fell, we need to move."

"A-are you even listening to m-me?!" Fell didn't notice them and kept rambling.

Classic rolled his eyes and grabbed Fell's arm again, pulling him along as he ran towards the twister. The smaller skeleton tried to stop him, but when he heard the sound of magic charging behind them, he begrudgingly followed.

They didn't make it very far, though. Classic didn't see the tripwire until it was too late. His foot caught the bone and it sent both of them sprawling on the ground.

Classic winced at the pain in his ankle. After a moment, he realized it was broken.

The Lost Souls stepped towards them. The drone of spliced language surrounded them like a veil.

"[I don't want-] [- goodbye-] [- home.] [- am I?] [I don't know-] [- go back!] [- where are they-] [Let me go-]"

"[- outsmart them.] [- useless -] [I can't-] [- just forget it.] [There's no point-] [- my little brother-] [I'm not an-] [- want to help...]"

As they got closer, a set of GBs manifested, hanging behind slightly like a funeral procession. The words were drowned out by their discordant hum; their streamlined forms were mottled almost beyond recognition, and the glittering stars that adorned Outs' weapon were dull and lifeless.

Classic searched his pocket for the vial, but he couldn't get a solid grip on it. He managed to pull it out - but then the bone he'd tripped over flew up and knocked it out of his hand. The vial was launched in the opposite direction of the twister - behind the Lost Souls.

"... Well, at least we got pretty far this time," he said in a defeated tone.

Fell shot him a look. "You're going to give up just like that?" He raised a wall of bones between them and the Lost Souls. "We're not dead yet. Get up!"

He stood and tried to lift Classic to his feet. The taller monster just turned away.

"Fine, I'll drag you if I have to." Fell started pulling Classic's arm towards the twister, but he wasn't strong enough to actually move him. "Don't just lie there. You're more powerful than me, and I was able to hold them off for a minute; send some attacks at them, or... Anything. Just don't give up!"

"... Why? We've already lost. There's no way to win. That's what he told us, wasn't it?"

Fell's eyes went wide. "Oh, god, don't tell me you believe that. There has to be a way. There always is. Remember?"

... Classic stayed silent.

The wall crumbled, destroyed by a few simple sparks from the GBs. Fell summoned an array of smaller ones to push them back, but they barely even finished materializing before they were blasted apart. His hands shook as he raised as many walls as he could at once, surrounding them in a protective cage.

"Classic,  _get up._ C'mon, we're gonna go get Swaps, and then we're going home..." He tried to lift Classic onto his shoulder, but he was pushed away.

The larger bones on the walls were already cracking under pressure.

He tried to reinforce the bones, but then realized he was out of magic.

Classic took the box out of his pocket for a moment, but put it back before Fell could see it. For some reason, he didn't want the other to know about it. "... Y'know, maybe it wasn't completely worthless. Now he knows how to get this far."

"That's not enough." Fell tried to look calm, but he knew his entire body was shaking. "This was s-supposed to be the last one. I... I failed. A-again."

"Do you really want those to be your last words?"

"Y-yeah, because t-they're true. I-I failed him like I a-always do. I c-can't do anything right."

"Fell, stop. This isn't helping. You didn't fail. Just calm down-"

"Stop! Saying! That!" He wanted to slap Classic across the face, but he was shaking too much. He clenched his fist, trying to stop it. "E-everyone says that, and- this is w-what happens if I believe t-them! Every s-single time, something bad h-happens to them, and I'm t-too _weak_ to prevent it!"

He bared his teeth and growled in that same way he always did when he got too upset. Back home, Classic would've covered his ears to keep out the panicked rant that habitually followed.

But this time, the display died down as soon as the fanged monster tried to speak. He choked over the first words that came to his mind.

"I..." He covered his face with his hands in an effort to hide the crimson tears staining his cheekbones. "... I-I  _loved_ him. I l-loved him, so much, more than a-anything else... And n-now... I couldn't keep m-my goddamn promise..."

He didn't seem to notice the walls falling part around him. Even if he had, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. He didn't have the energy to fix them anymore.

Classic sighed and looked up at the makeshift ceiling. "Well... If somehow this thing decides to be a little nicer this time and lets you keep some memories... Maybe you should remember to tell him that."

Fell was silent for a moment. "... He knows."

" _Everybody_ knows. But, hey, maybe it'll let him know there's progress, right?" He patted Fell's shoulder. "You did your best. I bet he's proud of you."

Fell glanced at Classic with a cold look in his eye, but it softened when he realized the other wasn't setting up an insult or a joke. "... Heh. You say that like he would ever  _not_ be."

It was quiet for a second, until a deafening  _CRACK!_ came from the ceiling above them.

The barrier shifted out of place, then was blown off completely by a GB shot. The walls fell without resistance, now that it was gone. A cloud of dust flew up around them, obscuring their view of the Lost Souls and their weaponry.

Classic raised his arms over his head in an attempt to brace for the shot. He knew it was useless with his 1 HP, but that protective urge from earlier made him think maybe there was some point to it. He wasn't sure what, though.

Through the haze, a violet-silver light grew with the nerve-wracking hum of machinery powering up. It got brighter and louder and  _angrier_ every moment, drowning out every sound, until finally-!

_BOOM!_

... It went silent.

And somehow, they were still alive.

Slowly, Classic lowered his arms.

Fell was still sitting next to him, but had stopped shaking. His eyes were wide - or, at least the one he could open fully. The other was stretched in an almost painful-looking kind of shock. And he was looking up.

Classic hesitantly followed Fell's gaze, and felt his marrow run cold.

A sword was buried in the massive GB's forehead, its blade coated in glitches.

Suddenly he felt eyes on his back. He whipped his head around just in time to see what looked like a bolt of blood-red lightning explode through the twister.

As the dust settled, the storm contorted itself, becoming thinner and weaker. The light faded, then compacted into a shining heart, floating high above the ground and sparking with energy.

And where the base of the storm had been, a familiar shape, now tinted in eye-searing colors, melted out of the distortion.


End file.
